| nopylon.co.uk Proposed Substation for Network Rail
Substation Action Group
Rail Traffic Trends Page |
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| nopylon.co.uk Proposed Substation for Network Rail
Substation Action Group
Rail Traffic Trends Page |
|
National Grid are planning to install a 400kV substation in our village. It's on behalf of Network Rail, to serve a new 25kV trackside feeder, and positioned on a green field site bounded by the railway, the A49, and B5153 Station Road. They claim that their existing 132kV-based supply sources are not enough "to enable new trains to run on the West Coast Main Line".
The introduction of Pendolino trains to the West Coast Main Line (WCML), which runs through Acton Bridge, leads to an increase in power demand, each unit being rated at 7.6MVA, as opposed to a class 90 locomotive at 4.8MVA for example. Of course, the total demand must also depend on how many trains are running at any given time. We all have our views of the railway industry, and the trend away from rail travel in favour of private cars and low-cost airlines, so Network Rail's admission that the increased electrical capacity is predicted by computer simulation may be significant.
Is rail traffic really increasing?
The Strategic Rail Authority publishes regular statistical reviews of passenger and freight traffic, although the publicly available data on their website does not appear to analyse the WCML traffic separately. A correspondent has kindly pointed out that the SRA recently updated its published statistics, and we are pleased to return the compliment.
From the SRA website [1], we read :
"The Strategic Rail Authority formally came into being on 1 February 2001, following the passage of the Transport Act 2000. On 14 January 2002 it published its first Strategic Plan, setting out the strategic priorities for Britain's railway over the next ten years. The SRA is responsible for delivering the Plan, within the resources available, and in particular the Government's key targets of 50% growth in passenger kilometres, 80% growth in freight moved, a reduction in London area overcrowding, and an improvement in punctuality and reliability".
The trends in passenger kilometres travelled, and freight tonnage and subsidies, are as follows. So that the figures can be as up-to-date as possible, data are given for the most recent quarter (Q1 ended June) for the last five years.
[1] Note that some prior year data have been retrospectively amended on the SRA website. Those quoted above were in the public domain on 4. October 2004 at http://www.sra.gov.uk/pubs2/performance_statistics/copy_of_nat_rail_trends/nat_rail_trends
[Link to a large PDF document] E&OE.
* Freight 'lifted' is the weight of freight carried, and ignores distance travelled. Freight grant data have also been restated by the SRA, and are not available for the most recent period, so the column has been omitted.
The SRA admits that, owing to rounding errors, the apparently static figure of 3.3bn long distance passenger kilometres masks an actual 3% decline from 2003-04 to 2004-05. The "trend" in passenger travel on long distance routes outside the London commuter area (that is, on routes such as the WCML) is completely flat, and all the headline growth is from regional operators.
Even more alarmingly for future passenger statistics, the timetabled long-distance train-kilometre figure fell by a staggering 13% from Q1 of 2003-04 to 2004-05. If the deleted trains aren't even scheduled to run, people certainly won't be using them!
And even the new Winter 2004 timetable, which features tilting trains, has fewer available seats than in Summer 2002. Frank Field MP asked the SRA (in the context of trains with fewer seats, but a more frequent service):
"What are the number of seats to Liverpool on WCML (per hour/per day) before and after the revised timetable?".
The SRA's formal answer was to tabulate the Liverpool services as trains changed from a mixture of MkII and MkIII loco-hauled sets to 8-car and then 9-car Pendolinos. The fact (and the point of Frank Field's question) is that even the 9-car Pendolino has fewer seats than either a MkII or MkIII set. The increase in total weekday seats from 6,250 in Summer 2004 to 7,056 in Winter 2004 is partly explained by an extra train (at 06:00). However, the tables betray a disproportionate 41% increase in First Class seats, and disguise the fact that the number of Standard Class seats has fallen by 14% from 5,498 in Summer 2002 to 4,736 in Winter 2004. Fine for MPs, perhaps, but not so egalitarian for the "hard-working family". How very New Labour!
As far as freight is concerned, the slight increase is partly accounted for by coal, which has little long-term future as coal-fired power stations are phased out in favour of gas and renewable sources.
October 2004 : Now there is further evidence from Network Rail that there is no realistic likelihood of significant increases in train movements (or "paths") in the crucial Crewe to Preston section of the WCML for which the Acton Bridge / Weaverham electrical upgrade is purported to be required. Reporting on "Route Strategies"[2], Network Rail admit that :
"The Crewe to Carlisle section is two track for 85% of its 250km length. Capacity is highly used on the two-track sections between Winsford and Weaver Junction, and is further constrained by the mix of speed, the need for Liverpool – St Helens – Wigan trains to use the main line from Springs Branch to Wigan, the mixed traffic speeds on the Wigan – Balshaw Lane two-track section, the single lead junction with numerous crossing moves at Euxton, and limited slow line platforming capacity at Preston. Again, differential speeds of trains mean that many trains consume more than one 'standard path' from Preston to Carlisle. At Carlisle Station, there is limited capacity to handle freight trains".
Looking at the options available to get round these undeniable route capacity constraints, Network Rail list seven, only one of which is relevant to this area :
"Option E Four track from Winsford to Weaver (eight miles). Two viaducts would also have to be widened as part of the eight-mile four tracking".
One of these is the historic Dutton Viaduct, a masterpiece of sandstone masonry where the WCML crosses the River Weaver Navigation.
And their conclusion?
"A is our preferred option [provide additional tracks between Rugby and Stafford] as no viable potential funding package has been identified for additional capacity on this route which the other options will provide".
So, unsurprisingly, there no chance of widening the WCML in the Crewe to Preston pinch point.
SAG doesn't blame Network Rail or the SRA for this, it's a legacy of the west coast route, and it's fully understandable that it would not be regarded as commercially sensible to spend billions installing additional tracks at this point. However, at least we can all see that the dramatic increases in passenger and freight "paths" through this section of the WCML, as forecast by the SRA, are never going to happen. It follows that there is much less need for power supply reinforcement in this section of the WCML and the location of the Trackside Feeder and associated substation is more flexible than we have been led to believe.
[2] Extracted from http://www.networkrail.co.uk/cache/CDBED815FD5842839A3D92F216EBECFB.pdf
Some other relevant links (these will take you off our site, and we are not responsible for what you find there) :
Year (Q1)
Passenger km (billion)
Freight traffic
Total
Long distance operators
Tonne km (billion)
Coal, tonne km (bn)
Tonne lifted* (million)
2000-01
9.9
3.5
4.7
1.2
24.9
2001-02
9.7
3.3
4.8
1.5
24.4
2002-03
9.9
3.3
4.7
1.4
21.8
2003-04
10.0
3.3
4.6
1.4
21.9
2004-05
10.2
3.3
5.0
1.6
22.1
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