Posted 4th February 2009 | 4 Comments
Big population growth helps swing opinion towards HS2
Eurostar on HS1.
DIFFICULTIES with expanding an operational railway and a population surge around Milton Keynes are two major reasons why the Government now acknowledges a need for a new line between London and the West Midlands – heralding a possible first stage in a new high-speed route to the North and, perhaps, Scotland.
According to the Department for Transport, a high-speed line could cut London-Birmingham journey times to well under an hour – “with commensurate time savings to various destinations beyond Birmingham”.
And “over time, subject to the agreement of the Scottish Executive, such a line could be extended to reach Scotland, further transforming connectivity within the UK”.
As well as serving a link into Heathrow, the new route would also open up opportunities for continental trips. “A new line offers the potential to link with the High Speed 1 route from St Pancras Inter-national to the Channel Tunnel and the European High Speed rail network.
“Such a connection could improve rail journey times and connectivity between the Midlands and the North and key European destinations,” says the DfT.
Last year, then transport minister Tom Harris said he was “modally agnostic”. Now the DfT says: “A new rail line will expand a transport mode that is generally more energy-efficient than short-haul air and long-distance road journeys.”
The DfT also now points out that the cost of building a new high-speed line “is not significantly greater than building a conventional one” – but it says a magnetic levitation (maglev) system, as used in Shanghai, would cost three times as much to build and operate, and could not be integrated with the conventional rail network in the UK or the rest of Europe.
Focusing on a possible early start on a high-speed line from London to the West Midlands, DfT says London-North West is Britain’s “single most important and heavily used” transport corridor.
And forecasts for peak-hour loadings on the WCML show that the section between Lon-don and the West Midlands is “already by far the most intensively used inter-city line in the country (and) is likely to reach its absolute capacity limit by the mid-2020s – even after the £8.8 billion upgrade”.
But more capacity is needed because of major housing and population growth around Milton Keynes and in the South Midlands – “the largest growth area in the UK.”
With a population already over 1.6 million, the area anticipates 224,000 new homes and 192,000 new jobs by 2021.
Reader Comments:
Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.
Magellan, London
Is the capacity of the Shaghai Maglev system comparable to a conventional HS solution?
Carl-Ake Utterstrom, Vasteras, Swedem
Reply to Anoop, Harrow.
The Wheel on Rail high speed trains needs quite straight and extremely accourate not much variating tracks. Do drive the high speed train is deffinitely not optimal.
The Maglev train can climb up to 16 percent in extreme cases, normally 10 %.
why a common low speed train manage 4 percent.
The 30 kilometer long distance in Shanghai has a travelling time of 7 minutes and 23 seconds with a top speed of 430 km/h. Tests have been performed with a top speed of 500 km/h and can implemented via a software change. Ordinary traffic in 500 km/h can start when you want.
With a high speed train like ICE, TGV etc the acceleration distance to reach 300 km/h is about 30 kilometer. If one calculate with linear acceleration the TGV will reach about 150 km/h after 1.5 kilometer before it has to initiate braking. Unless there are no leaves on the track the train will succeed to come to a stop within indicated 30 kilometer. Will have a travelling time of about 24 minutes.
In Shanghai two Maglev can fulfil traffic every quarter of an hour between 09.00 a.m. until 06.00 p.m. Outherwise traffic is performed between 06.30 a,m to 09.30 p.m. With six TGV you can manage one departure every 12.5 minute.
The TGV-line similar line S:t Panchras to Channel Tunnel costs about twice the calculated Maglev line from London wia the Pennines to Glasow although expensive above earth building to downtown cities as well as passing over the Pennines.
Donīt compare the Building costs for the very expensive line in Shanghai which had to be piled down to 72 meters deep.
Maglev is an extremely robust system that is hardly not impacted by the Typhone Matsa a 72 secondmeters as well as the long lasting worst snoweather in 50 years for Shanghai. A lot of icing etc.
The Maglev donīt need an overhead contact line. a pantograph. gear box, boggies, shafts, wheels, bearings conventional brakes. Warm component and systems like transformers, switches and converters are stationary mounted in sub station along the line. Much easier to repaire as well as replace. That makes the Maglev secure from burning, low weight as well as the components can be dimensioned with less space and weight demands. The train can even not hardly derail as it griff around the guideway. The electricals are stationary mounted underneath the guideway and with power supply only when the train pass outherwise no motor power supply.
As the tracks are mounted on consecutive columns every 25 meter the earth demand will be very low as well as the topography can remain intact. No ditches or so, In continous mode all service will be performed wia dieselpowered serviceunits. Now integrated in the supervisory security system.
Earlier not done at the testplant in Germany.
Want do you think is Maglev an excellent or not. The maintenance cost for track and train in 450 km/h va German ICE in 250 km/h is 34 percent.
Automatic driverless operation in Brittain.
Anoop, Harrow
There are many advantages of conventional high speed trains over Maglev:
1. Maglev trains can only serve the few destinations that are connected by Maglev tracks. Conventional high speed trains can serve many peripheral towns by continuing on the existing network. Alternatively, by using the existing railways, the cost of building dedicated track to minor destinations or into densely populated areas can be saved.
2. Conventional railways are cheaper to build and maintain because they use commonly available technology.
3. Although there is no firm evidence either way, it is probable that a conventional railway would be safer. Maglev trains are lightly-built and do not cope well in collisions with objects on the track (e.g. the Maglev on the German test track). In contrast, modern British railway carriages maintain their structural integrity in most collisions (e.g. the Pendolino at Grayrigg).
4. Turnouts are cheaper and easier to build for conventional track. High speed turnouts enable trains to switch tracks at up to 200km/h. No Maglev equivalents currently exist (except for taking trains into and out of depots etc.), and the only Maglev tracks in existence are simple loops or a line running between only two destinations.
The possible benefits of Maglev are:
1. Higher top speed - but not much higher, maybe 400km/h versus 320km/h. This would only make a difference over very long distances.
2. Faster acceleration and ability to climb steeper gradients.
However, the lack of integration with the conventional network would mean that the total time taken for many journeys (including time travelling to and from the Maglev station) would cancel out the benefit of increased speed on the Maglev. There would be no level crossings on a new high speed line. A conventional locomotive would probably be better at pushing a snowplough than a lightweight Maglev train.
Ian McNab, Manchester, UK
When will the DfT (they missed the 'a' out!) get it into their heads that the cost of a 'Maglev' system would cost 'LESS' than a steel wheel on steel lines system! Plus there would be no more deaths on level crossings (only the old ones!) No more hold-up's for snow and leaves on lines etc etc! With Maglev a much faster and more frequent service with little to no polution would be a certainty!
Let's give thanks to the good old railways, they have served us to the best of their abilities, but you can't beat progress! So join them! Support Maglev!
As Del would say! "You know it makes sense"!!!