New LNER Fleet To Have Joint Line Capability

AnonW

Jan 1

The title of this post, is the same as that of an article in the January 2024 edition of Modern Railways.

This is the text of the article.

LNER's new fleet of CAF tri-mode trains, for which an order was confirmed in November, has been specified with the capability to operate via the Joint Line via Spalding and Lincoln in case of closures on the East Coast Main Line between Peterborough and Doncaster.

CAF will supply 10x10-car trains with overhead electric, battery and diesel capability, financed by Porterbrook. The inclusion of diesel engines as part of the winning bid, rather than a straightforward battery-electric unit, has surprised some observers, but LNER's specification was that the fleet should have sufficient self-powered capability to cover the length of the joint line, which is approximately 90 miles. This is currently to be considered to be beyond the scope of battery-power alone, although as the technology evolves diesel engines could be replaced by batteries. The configuration of diesel engines and batteries within the sets has yet to be decided.

LNER frequently uses the Joint Line as a diversionary route, both during planned engineering work and at times of disruption, but only its bi-mode Azumas are currently able to traverse it under their own power (electric sets have been hauled by a diesel locomotive, but this is now a very rare occurrence). The new CAF fleet will replace the InterCity 225 electric fleet, and the self-power capability will provide valuable resilience to LNER to divert via non-electrified routes.

While the '225s' are currently confined to services between King's Cross and Leeds/York, if the enhanced December 2024 timetable goes ahead as currently planned (see story above) they will operate north of York once again on some of the hourly services which will terminate at Newcastle. However, LNER is having to limit the use of the sets before the Class 91 locomotives and Mk 4 coaches come due for major overhauls: the decision to retain 12 locos and eight rakes of coaches was based on the intended timescale for replacing the fleet at the time, but confirming the order for the new CAF tri-modes has taken longer than anticipated, largely due to delays in receiving Government approval to place the order.

This article has got me thinking.

The InterCity225 Trains Need Replacing Urgently

The Modern Railways article states that the need to replace the InterCity 225s is getting urgent, as more than the Azumas will be needed for the December 2024 timetable and the InterCity 225s are getting to the end of their economic life.

As LNER have been doing reasonably well lately, a cock-up caused by lack of trains at Christmas 2024 would be the last thing they need.

Currently, LNER have enough Mark 4 coaches for eight trains, so ordering ten new CAF tri-mode trains will allow for a small amount of extra services.

The CAF tri-mode trains were only ordered in November 2023, so getting them delivered for December 2024 would be tight.

As I write this on the 31st December 2023, trains from King's Cross to Leeds included.

5 x InterCity225
5 x 10-car Azuma
7 x 9-car Azuma
2 x 5-car Azuma

So there were InterCity 225s running on that day.

A Few Distances Around Lincolnshire

I believe that because of offshore wind and other renewable energy developments, that Lincolnshire will become an energy powerhouse, supporting the East Midlands and also exporting electricity and hydrogen to Europe through pipelines and interconnectors.

Because of this and other developments, I believe that rail passenger traffic to and around the county will increase significantly.

These are a few selected distances.

Doncaster and Cleethorpes - 52.1 miles
Grantham and Skegness - 58.2 miles
Lincoln and Doncaster - 36.8 miles
Lincoln and Newark - 16.8 miles
Lincoln and Peterborough - 54.8 miles
Lincoln and Cleethorpes - 47.2 miles

Note.

This means that the length of the Joint Line, which between Werrington Junction and where it rejoins the East Coast Main Line to the South of Doncaster is no more than ninety miles. This ninety mile distance was assumed in the Modern Railways article.
Peterborough and Cleethorpes via Lincoln is ninety-two miles.
I estimate that around four miles could be easily electrified at Werrington, which would reduce these two distances by four miles.
Newark and Cleethorpes via Lincoln is sixty-four miles.

It looks like if a battery-electric train had a range of 92 miles and there was charging at Cleethorpes and Skegness, Lincolnshire could have a first class zero-carbon rail service.

CAF Tri-Mode Trains And The Joint Line

This is the first sentence in the Modern Railways article.

LNER's new fleet of CAF tri-mode trains, for which an order was confirmed in November, has been specified with the capability to operate via the Joint Line via Spalding and Lincoln in case of closures on the East Coast Main Line between Peterborough and Doncaster.

Note.

The Modern Railways article states the Joint Line is approximately 90 miles.
As I stated earlier with some strategically placed electrification at Werrington and South of Doncaster, this distance without electrification can probably be shortened by a few miles.

It looks like any service run by a CAF tri-mode train will be able to use the Joint Line.

Hitachi Class 801 Trains And The Joint Line

Unless the Joint Line is electrified or the all-electric Class 801 trains are fitted with batteries of a sufficient size the Class 801 trains will not be able to use the Joint Line.

Hitachi Class 800/802 Trains And The Joint Line

If currently, the Class 800/802 trains can handle the Joint Line on their diesel engines, they can continue to do this.

Hitachi Class 803 Trains And The Joint Line

Unless the Joint Line is electrified or Class 803 trains are fitted with batteries of a sufficient size the Class 803 trains will not be able to use the Joint Line.

Hitachi Class 80x Trains With Batteries And The Joint Line

Note that Lumo's Class 803 trains are already fitted with an emergency battery for hotel power. So Hitachi must have information on how their batteries perform in service.

This press release from Hitachi, which is entitled Hitachi And Eversholt Rail To Develop GWR Intercity Battery Hybrid Train – Offering Fuel Savings Of More Than 20% announced the start of Hitachi's battery-electric program in December 2020.

This is a paragraph.

The projected improvements in battery technology – particularly in power output and charge – create opportunities to replace incrementally more diesel engines on long distance trains. With the ambition to create a fully electric-battery intercity train – that can travel the full journey between London and Penzance – by the late 2040s, in line with the UK's 2050 net zero emissions target.

Hitachi have now published this page on their web site, which is entitled Intercity Battery Trains.

The page has this sub-heading.

Accelerate the decarbonisation of intercity rail with batteries

These are the first two paragraphs.

A quick and easy application of battery technology is to install it on existing or future Hitachi intercity trains. Hitachi Rail's modular design means this can be done without the need to re-engineer or rebuild the train and return them to service as quickly as possible for passengers.

Replacing one diesel engine with just one battery reduces emissions by more than 20% and offers cost savings of 20-30%. Our intercity battery powered trains can cover 70km on non-electrified routes, operating at intercity speeds at the same or increased performance.

It appears to be a masterful application of an old electrical or software engineer's trick.

In the 1960s, I spent time in two summer holidays building transistorised control systems in a rolling mills to replace obsolete control systems that used thermionic valves and relays.

Are Hitachi just replacing a diesel power pack with a battery pack, that has the same power and control functionality?

In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I looked at Hitachi's published data sheet, which has these bullet points.

750kW peak power
Weight neutral
At least 20% lower CO2 emissions
70km on non-electrified routes
20% reduction in whole life maintenance costs
Up to 30% fuel cost savings
Zero emissions in and out of stations
Charge on the move
10 year life span

Note.

750 kW peak power, is around the power of the diesel-engine, that will be replaced.
I wouldn't be surprised that powerwise, the battery pack looks like a diesel engine.
Weight neutral means that acceleration and performance will be unchanged.
Batteries are easier to maintain than diesels.
It is stated that a train can be fully-decarbonised.

I have a feeling these trains are no ordinary battery-electric trains.

This paragraph, that I quoted earlier gives details on battery range.

Replacing one diesel engine with just one battery reduces emissions by more than 20% and offers cost savings of 20-30%. Our intercity battery powered trains can cover 70km on non-electrified routes, operating at intercity speeds at the same or increased performance.

If one battery can give seventy kilometres or 43.5 miles, what distances would be possible in the various Hitachi Class 80x trains on the UK rail network?

Five-car Class 800 - Three diesel engines
Nine-car Class 800 - Five diesel engines
Five-car Class 801 - One diesel engine
Nine-car Class 801 - One diesel engine
Five-car Class 802 - Three diesel engines
Nine-car Class 802 - Five diesel engines
Five-car Class 803 - One battery
Five-car Class 805 - Three diesel engines
Seven-car Class 807 - No diesel engine or battery
Five-car Class 810 - Four diesel engines

Note.

The Class 801 trains have one diesel engine for emergency use.
The Class 803 trains have one battery for emergency use.
The Class 807 trains appear to be built for top speed and acceleration and have no unnecessary weight.

In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I came to the conclusion, that if all diesel engine packs are be replaced by batteries, the train has a range of around 117-121 miles.

If my calculation is correct, I believe that Hitachi battery-electric trains will be capable of using the Joint Line, if all diesel engines are replaced by battery packs.

Surely, if a number of Hitachi trains could use the Joint Line in addition to the ten CAF tri-mode trains, this would minimise disruption to passengers and increase revenue on days, when the East Coast Main Line was closed for engineering works or an incident.

Will The Hitachi Class 80x Trains With Batteries Or The CAF Tri-Mode Trains Have The Longer Range Without Electrification?

Consider.

Cleethorpes could be the problem, as it is 64 miles from Newark and 92 miles from Peterborough and a round trip without charging at Cleethorpes for a battery-electric might be a trip to far.
But a tri-mode train like that from CAF with an on-board diesel, should have the range.
More range for a tri-mode train, just needs bigger fuel tanks.
I also suspect Cleethorpes has the equipment to refuel a diesel train, as all services to the station are diesel powered.

The article also says this.

The inclusion of diesel engines as part of the winning bid, rather than a straightforward battery-electric unit, has surprised some observers, but LNER's specification was that the fleet should have sufficient self-powered capability to cover the length of the joint line, which is approximately 90 miles. This is currently to be considered to be beyond the scope of battery-power alone, although as the technology evolves diesel engines could be replaced by batteries.

Could it be that some of LNER's routes like Aberdeen, Cleethorpes and Inverness have longer running without electrification, than Hitachi's trains with batteries can achieve. Perhaps, this is why they lost the order?

Pairs Of Hitachi Class 80x Trains With Batteries And The Joint Line

I suspect if one five-car train with batteries can handle the Joint Line, then a pair could also handle it, if the train's control system allowed it.

Will The Joint Line Be Slower Than The East Coast Main Line?

Consider.

The Joint Line is not the slowest line in the country and large sections of the route, have a top speed of 60 mph or higher.
It is surprisingly straight.
There are some slower sections, through Lincoln and Sleaford.
The average speed between Peterborough and Lincoln of local trains is about 50 mph.
The average speed between Doncaster and Lincoln of local trains is about 48 mph.

I suspect that the expresses, should be able to achieve 60 mph between Peterborough and Doncaster, with a small amount of track improvement.

This would mean the following times between Doncaster and Peterborough.

Via the Joint Line - 90 minutes
Via East Coast Main Line - 50 minutes

It looks like forty minutes will be added to journey times.

Would There Be Any Point In Running Some Services Via The Joint Line?

Consider.

Lincoln has one train per two hours (tp2h) to and from King's Cross.
A King's Cross and Doncaster service could use the Joint Line and call at Peterborough, Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln Central, Gainsborough Lea Road and Doncaster.
If it terminated at Harrogate, Leeds or York, it could ease congestion on the East Coast Main Line between Peterborough and Doncaster.
Lincoln is making a name for itself as a University town.
Lincolnshire is getting more important with respect to renewable energy and innovative food production.
The frequency would be at least one tp2h.
If needed, Lincoln Central could be electrified to charge passing trains.
The service could also go via Cambridge to provide East Anglia and its technological powerhouse with better connections to and from the North.

It would all depend on where extra rail services are needed.

Could Cleethorpes And Grimsby Town Have A Service From King's Cross?

In Azuma Test Train Takes To The Tracks As LNER Trials Possible New Route, I discuss how in June 2023, LNER ran a test train to Cleethorpes and Grimsby Town.

With all the energy development going on in North-East Lincolnshire, I suspect that a service between King's Cross and Cleethorpes via Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town could be viable.
I suspect that the energy developments could find recruitment difficult and say a one tp2h service to Peterborough might ease the problem.
Whether it ran to Lincoln via Newark and the East Coast Main Line or via Spalding and Sleaford would be down to predicted traffic.
The distance via Newark would be 64 miles or 128 miles return.
The distance via Peterborough would be 92 miles or 184 miles return.
These distances would probably mean that a battery-electric train would need charging at Cleethorpes.

So would it be netter if the Cleethorpes trains were to be run by CAF tri-mode trains.

Could Cleethorpes Services Be Paired With The York Service?

The current King's Cross and Lincoln service uses the same path as a York service.

Both services leave King's Cross at six minutes past the hour.
York trains leave at odd hours.
Lincoln trains leave at even hours.

If the York service used the Joint Line and the Lincoln service were to be extended to Cleethorpes, Lincoln would receive an hourly service.

One service could go via Newark and the other via Peterborough, Spalding and Sleaford.
A path on the East Coast Main Line would be saved.
The service to York could go via Leeds.
The York service could be extended to Middlesbrough, Scarborough or Sunderland.
I suspect that timings to Cleethorpes and York could be a similar six-hour round trip.
CAF tri-mode trains would be needed for the Cleethorpes services.
Either train type could work the York services.

There are various possibilities to improve the train service been London and Lincolnshire.

What Will Be The Maximum Range Of The CAF Tri-Mode Trains?

When determining this, LNER would probably have taken into account all current and every possible service, that they might run in the future, which was not fully electrified.

These would include.

London King's Cross and Aberdeen – 91.4 miles
London King's Cross and Bradford Interchange via Shaftholme junction – 47.8 miles
London King's Cross and Cleethorpes via Newark and Lincoln – 64 miles
London King's Cross and Cleethorpes via Peterborough, Spalding and Lincoln – 92 miles
London King's Cross and Harrogate via Leeds – 18.3 miles
London King's Cross and Inverness– 151.1 miles
London King's Cross and Hull via Temple Hirst junction – 36.1 miles
London King's Cross and Lincoln - 16.8 miles
London King's Cross and Middlesbrough via Northallerton – 20.3 miles
London King's Cross and Scarborough via York – 42.1 miles
London King's Cross and Sunderland via Northallerton – 47.4 miles

They would also have taken in possible diversion routes.

London King's Cross and Carlisle via Leeds - 86.8 miles
London and Edinburgh - 400 miles
London King's Cross and Newcastle via Northallerton and Durham Coast Line – 59.6 miles

Note.

The distance is the length without electrification.
London King's Cross and Carlisle is a possible diversion route, if between Leeds and Edinburgh is blocked.
A London King's Cross and Edinburgh capability might be needed, if there was something like a serious weather problem, bringing down the overhead wires.
London King's Cross and Newcastle via Northallerton and Durham Coast Line is a possible diversion route, if between Northallerton and Newcastle is blocked.

LNER's longest route without electrification is to Inverness and it is 151.1 miles between Stirling and Inverness.

London King's Cross and Cleethorpes via Peterborough, Spalding and Lincoln could be longer, if it were to be run as a return trip of 184 miles.

LNER will probably have specified the range they need on the longest route they run or might run in the future, as there is no point in buying a fleet of trains and then finding that they can't handle all your routes. They would also include all possible emergency routes, just as they've already included the Joint Line.

Out of curiosity I asked Professor Google how far a diesel train could run on a full tank of diesel and got this answer.

According to the traction manual for 158/159 stock each coach has a 400 gallon tank or 1818 Ltr. £2500 at the filling station.

The manual also says that that is enough fuel to travel Waterloo to Exeter and back twice over. Which is 688 miles exactly. Guess there is spare in there for shunting and idling at terminus. Still an mpg of 1.7.

It looks to me, that if a humble Class 158/159 train has a range of nearly 700 miles, then LNER can probably have virtually any distance they want for their new trains.

These journeys will probably all be possible.