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This thread is to discuss the electrification needed on mainlines for 125-mph capable battery trains. To start things off, these are my thoughts for main lines in my part of the world (i.e. the MML and the Cross Country route) BEMU SPECIFICATION It seems to me that the 10-car Class 897...

If a flat rail junction is to be replaced by a flyover, say at Newark flat crossing, then how high does that flyover have to be? Obviously, it will need to accommodate W12 gauge rolling stock on the lower track, plus an allowance for electrification. Add the depth of the upper beam supporting...

Driving to John O'Groats last week, I was struck by the Ember electric coach service that now runs from Inverness to Wick and Thurso. I was genuinely surprised to see these EVs, as the Far North Line has always been held up as an example of a route that would be impossibly far for battery...

Many grid feeders are in continuous use - supplying relativel steady levels of power to a succession of trains, such as around London or on the WCML north of Weaver. But grid feeders on less intensively used parts of the network have a much peakier demand curve. They may need to supply tens of...

To understand the implications of converting regional train services to battery or tri-mode operation, I thought it would be useful to consider what range and endurance would be possible with current battery technology. EMR use class 170s, so I'm going to propose a battery trimode for regional...

How big a battery would a battery-electric freight locomotive need to haul a full length intermodal from, say, Felixstowe to Hams Hall or Doncaster via non-electrified lines? A maximum intermodal train is up to 775m long and around 1800t trailing weight. This is my thinking so far: 4M23 left...

I see there's a power problem in the Channel Tunnel https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c93wkw37p0pt EDIT: A Shuttle has failed in the tunnel. https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/travel-info/travel-updates/49376

Issues with getting grid connections include 5-year leadtimes (or more), and needing to tap into 230kV or 400kV circuits to absorb the phase imbalances of 25kV electrification. It seems to me that the way forward is Static Frequency Converters (SFCs) that use a balanced 3-phase supply to feed...

BATTERY TRAIN ENDURANCE When thinking about electrifying the rest of the GB mainline network, it seems to me that one key constraint is going to be the performance and range of 125mph-capable battery units. I have three hard pieces of evidence to help model this; if anyone has any better data...

Platforms 1-4 at St Pancras have a working length of 240m, so in its franchise bid EMR commissioned the 810, a new version of the AT300 from Hitachi with 24m coaches just to fit 2x5-car trains. Speculating idly, I was wondering if instead they could have ordered standard 5-car 80x with 26m...

Most battery EMUs and tri-mode trains are recharged from 25kV overhead lines. What needs to be considered when designing OHLE in areas where battery EMUs are likely to be used in the future (which probably means all areas)? Particular questions I have include: What currents do BEMUs take when...

I see that Mark Wild (CEO of HS2 Ltd) is now saying that the overspend on HS2 phase 1 is likely to be 50% to 100%. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jul/09/hs2-already-billions-over-budget-with-work-just-over-halfway-done-says-rail-boss EDIT: The official video of the Transport...

The Integrated Rail Plan (now defunct) envisaged building HS2 phase 2bEast as far as East Midlands Parkway. It would be much cheaper to build a connection from HS2 to the 125mph Birmingham-Derby line, north of Kingsbury Branch Junction, and run say 2tph to Derby and on to Sheffield. This would...

Considering lines that are not yet electrified, what sections carry the most trains per hour (tph)? At this stage I'm only considering timetabled passenger services, and not including freight or ECS/NR movements. Or station throats. I can think of the following: Dore - Sheffield (8 tph, I...

What high speed services could run if phase 2a gets built to Crewe? Building phase 2a of HS2 to Crewe would bypass the bottleneck of Colwich, but without the tunnel to Manchester that would just transfer the constraints to north of Crewe. Crewe-Weaver on the WCML is full; the network south of...

To help me understand what batteries and discontinous electrification would mean for the rail network, I've worked out what would be needed for XC to get to Penzance with 80x trimodes. The figures are based on the 802207 trial which had two diesel power units and one 577kWh battery pack. This...

Can anyone answer a couple of questions on static frequency converters? I'm asking as I would like to understand the scope for using SFCs for isolated islands of electrification at places like Exeter or the Highlands. Note this thread is only for actual SFC capabilities - not for speculation...

I see the High Speed Rail Group has published their proposals for continuing HS2 phase 2a. https://www.rail-leaders.com/industry-news/high-speed-rail-group-calls-for-new-affordable-and-realistic-hs2-plan/

Is it feasible to split or join a train at a station where the train is longer than the platform? For instance, could a 400m HS2 train split at Preston or Carlisle or Carstairs before the platforms there are lengthened to 400m? Presumably the train could come to a halt without making an...

I was looking at @RailAleFan 's extremely useful Flow Statistics website, which lists the top 100 station-to-station passenger flows, as reported by ORR. I see the biggest flow is Liverpool St to Tottenham Court Rd at 8000 Pax/d, but those stations are only a kilometre or so apart. Which got me...