The Anonymous Widower

Uttoxeter Station – 14th October 2026

Becuse Uttoxeter station could be on a possible open access service between St. Pancras and Manchester Piccadilly stations, I went and had a look.

My father would have made a comment about Molotov as regards this station.

Molotov had this reputation for always saying no.

This station is rather short in its list of facilities.

  • It has no lifts for the footbridge.
  • It has no staff.
  • There was no obvious information about local transport.
  • I saw no details of how to get a taxi.
  • There were no litter bins on Platform 1.
  • Poor early and late trains.

I believe this station needs a lot of improvement.

These are my thoughts.

Are Any Improvements Planned At Uttoxeter Station?

I thought I had better ask this question of Google AI first, so I didn’t repeat myself.

Google AI gave me this answer to the question.

Several service and timetable improvements are planned for Uttoxeter station:

Sunday Train Timetable Changes: Starting in December 2026, Sunday train services through Uttoxeter and Tutbury will be expanded to run from 9:30 AM onward, removing the previous restriction where trains did not start until after 3:00 PM.

Local Campaign for Increased Frequency: Local campaigns and discussions with East Midlands Railway (EMR) and Network Rail are underway to assess adding more frequent local train services and extra carriages on the Derby-to-Crewe line, including through Uttoxeter.

Proposed Open Access Services: Grand Central Trains has submitted an application for a new open access train service connecting Manchester Piccadilly and London St. Pancras that would call at Uttoxeter (proposing five trains per day).

Regional Infrastructure Upgrades: Network Rail has conducted ongoing infrastructure and track-renewal works across Derbyshire and Staffordshire (such as recent upgrades near Wychnor Viaduct and Clay Mills level crossing) to improve overall line reliability for services passing through Uttoxeter.

Note.

  1. When I visited the station, a guy complained to me about train times.
  2. I took one train to Uttoxeter and one from the station. Both were crowded.
  3. I believe Grand Central Trains service between London St. Pancras and Manchester Piccadilly will be a winner.
  4. Good to see that a level crossing has been removed.

Nothing seems to be planned, except for the better timetable.

Would Adding The Open Access Service Be Welcomed?

The open access service could have these effects.

  1. Five more trains in each direction would add more capacity.
  2. Trains could be timetabled to run in busy times.
  3. Early and late trains, would benefit shift workers.
  4. Running to London St. Pancras would connect to Continental services in the same station.
  5. Running to stations like Derby, Leicester, Stoke-on-Trent, Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly would widen the employee catchment area for employers in Uttoxeter.
  6. Alton Towers, JCB and Uttoxeter racecourse would probably all benefit from a direct train service to London St. Pancras, Derby, Stockport and Manchester.

Andy Burnham says he wants growth. Surely these five trains in each direction would inject growth into Uttoxeter and the surrounding area.

A Decent Bus Service To Local Attraction Would Be Needed

I took these pictures today of a small bus in London.

Note.

  1. It is a Wrightbus GB Kite electric bus.
  2. It was built in Northern Ireland.
  3. Wrightbus is owned by Lord Bamford’s son.
  4. Lord Bamford’s family own JCB.

I’m sure the family can agree on a deal to make Uttoxeter a must-visit place.

 

October 15, 2026 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Design, Manufacturing, Transport/Travel, UK Economic Growth | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wrightbus Launches In Australia With Battery And Hydrogen Buses On Show

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Fuel Cell Works.

These two bullet points, act as sub-headings.

  • Wrightbus has officially launched its Australian expansion, introducing a range of battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses backed by local sales, service and long-term support
  • The move strengthens the company’s international growth strategy as Australia increases investment in zero-emission public transport and heavy-duty decarbonization

This first paragraph adds more details.

Wrightbus has officially entered the Australian market, marking a significant milestone in the Northern Ireland manufacturer’s international growth strategy. The company unveiled its expansion during the Australasia Bus & Coach Expo in Sydney, where it presented its battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell bus portfolio to operators, government agencies and transport stakeholders. The launch will be led locally by a dedicated Australian team and is supported by a long-term commitment to aftersales service, technical support and partnerships with Australian industry.

I believe that this is the start of something big.

  • Wrightbus know how to sell large numbers of buses to conurbations like London, Manchester and Leeds.
  • An operator can decarbonise their network in a way that suits them.
  • In the Ultroliner, Wrightbus have a bus that can be introduced as a diesel and then converted to hydrogen or electric, when the operator has sorted the fuel.
  • Australia must surely be a big market for Wrightbus’s hydrogen-powered coach, with a 1,000 km range on one fill-up.
  • It should be born in mind, that the average Wrightbus zero-carbon bus, makes the competition from China look like junks.

Will Wrightbus manufacture the buses and coaches in Ballymena, Malaysia or Australia?

 

July 18, 2026 Posted by | Hydrogen, Manufacturing, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

British Buses For British Bottoms

Occasionally, I catch the 153 bus, as it goes between the Leon, where I often go for breakfast, and the William Harvey Heart Centre, where I volunteer as a lab-rat.

Lately, I’ve noticed that the route is being run by new Wrightbus GB Kite single-decker battery-electric buses.

This morning I had a ride.

Note.

  1. The buses are battery-electric.
  2. This page is the bus’s home page.
  3. This bus is the short 10.2 metre long version.
  4. It was certainly a well-built, smooth-riding and comfortable bus, that was approved by my sensitive British bottom.

This Press Release from Wrightbus is entitled Wrightbus Sets Sights On Further European Expansion After Hydrogen Buses Land In Germany.

This is the sub-heading.

Leading zero-emission bus pioneer Wrightbus has announced plans for further expansion into Europe following the arrival of a landmark hydrogen bus order into Germany.

These are the first three paragraphs.

All of the 31 buses for operator Regionalverkehr Köln Gmbh (RVK) are now in situ – the first ever Wrightbus vehicles on European soil – with testing underway before the fleet goes into service across the Cologne region.

Named the fastest-growing bus manufacturer in Europe, Wrightbus has enjoyed a remarkable year. Alongside further hydrogen bus deals for Saarbahn, Vestische, Cottbus and West Verkehr, and the opening of a new European service centre in Bruhl, Wrightbus is also hiring staff to supply buses to France and Benelux.

In October, it also signed a landmark deal worth up to half-a-billion pounds to supply more than 1,000 buses to operator Go-Ahead over the next three years – 90 per cent of which will be zero-emission.

The press release says that deals are possible in France and Benelux.

February 2, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | 2 Comments