Rail electrification possible for 95% of UK freight trains, CILT research reveals

[Meerkat]

On the original link it has electrifying to Wakefield and Leeds terminals as a quick win.
Are there paths for an electric intermodal to get there via the ECML, or do all intermodals get sent round the joint line?

 

[zwk500]

On the original link it has electrifying to Wakefield and Leeds terminals as a quick win.
Are there paths for an electric intermodal to get there via the ECML, or do all intermodals get sent round the joint line?

ECML is only W8 or W9, so anything with Hi-cube containers has to go via the GNGE.

 

[Trainbike46]

of the quick wins, London Gateway, Felixstowe, and liverpool docks make sense

but what flows would benefit from the leeds-wakefield link?

And what even is the link they drew in london? the map isn't very clear

 

[zwk500]

of the quick wins, London Gateway, Felixstowe, and liverpool docks make sense

Felixstowe isn't the quickest of wins, but probably is worth doing with bi-modes coming on stream.

but what flows would benefit from the leeds-wakefield link?

It appears none on their own, as the GNGE isn't wired and it's not clear what W10/12 freight paths might be available after the TRU. However with bi-mode power the argument that 'it's useless without X scheme' does hold less weight.

And what even is the link they drew in london? the map isn't very clear

It looks like a poor representation of Acton Bank/Acton Wells Jn/Willesden No 7 area.

 

[Meerkat]

looks like a poor representation of Acton Bank/Acton Wells Jn/Willesden No 7 area.

I took it to be Acton Wells to Cricklewood.

 

[zwk500]

I took it to be Acton Wells to Cricklewood.

The link shown only connects to the WCML, not the MML.

 

[Meerkat]

The link shown only connects to the WCML, not the MML.

Doh! You are very correct, dunno how I misread that!

 

[busken]

I said "virtually". £6000pa may sound a lot of money but the turnover pa of the average 44t HGV is over £300,000, so as the entire track access charge it is a bargain.

In the year 2000 the government of the day commissioned a report from NERA on the costs of HGVs to the country. This report clearly demonstrated that a maximum weight HGV did not cover it costs in relation to road provision, even more so if congestion, policing, accidents and pollution were added.

Since then, the only movements in the taxation of HGVs have been reductions. Despite inflation of 74% from 2000 to the present day, vehicle excise duty has been REDUCED and fuel duty has been mainly frozen. This drastically alters the NERA figures such that estimates shows tha HGVs cover about 30% of their costs, the rest being covered by the private motorist.

I wish I could get £300,000 from my trucks, the only one that gets over £200,000 is used day and night, 7 days a week, loaded both ways. The majority are £150,000 or less. Profit margin is around 2%.

 

[furnessvale]

I wish I could get £300,000 from my trucks, the only one that gets over £200,000 is used day and night, 7 days a week, loaded both ways. The majority are £150,000 or less. Profit margin is around 2%.

I can only work on what companies such as Wincanton publish. Maybe big is beautiful.

 

[fandroid]

Is this actually technically true? If the wire was at max height like for level crossings, and the structures on the far side, is there enough physical space for a reach stacker to lift a container?
Obviously it would be a bit niche as it would be a container terminal with where the reach stackers only do the nearest track (how do they see what they are doing on the far track?!)
I'm no electrician but I'm guessing H&S would demand isolation of the line during loading/unloading and that might mean a neutral section in an impossible position for locos trying to pull away??

Hasn't there been a demo recently of retractable OLE for sidings?

As for Reading to Southampton, there is a route available from Basingstoke to Southampton Docks via the chord at Salisbury. They'd also need to find a route for the OLE through Basingstoke station and on to Worting Junction. There once was serious talk of a freight bypass for the station and there's a fair amount of space either side of the tracks most of the way from there to the junction. As for the Southampton end, I'm not so sure, but it seems likely that the width is available for a dedicated freight line as far as the western docks.

 

[zwk500]

Hasn't there been a demo recently of retractable OLE for sidings?

Yes, in an Azuma/IET depot and at Wellingborough. Interestingly, a video popped up on my youtube feed of a chinese train unloading containers from under fixed OLE although the reach stacker design looked quite different from those used in the UK (although I'm no expert and presumably such a design could be used in the UK).

As for Reading to Southampton, there is a route available from Basingstoke to Southampton Docks via the chord at Salisbury. They'd also need to find a route for the OLE through Basingstoke station and on to Worting Junction. There once was serious talk of a freight bypass for the station and there's a fair amount of space either side of the tracks most of the way from there to the junction.

Basingstoke-Worting junction would be a very expensive section to dual-electrify. DC and AC currents behave differently and over that length the return feed arrangements would be extremely complex. It's bad enough on Thameslink between City TL and Farringdon.

As for the Southampton end, I'm not so sure, but it seems likely that the width is available for a dedicated freight line as far as the western docks.

The Redbridge Goods joins in immediately at the East end of Redbridge station so you could have OLE over to that. However you then have the FLT on the north side of the line at Millbrook, which will complicate the feeding and electrification requirements. By far the easiest thing to do at Southampton, given the use of gantry cranes, would be to end the OLE on the Test Valley and use last-mile batteries into the port.