Abellio Greater Anglia Class 755s (Regional Trains)

[trebor79]

A second Cambridge to Stansted would be great, the XCs are very crowded by the time they reach Cambridge. Could they maybe also run it to Bury?

That's an interesting thought, maybe even a Norwich - Ipswich via Ely and Bury.

 

[ac6000cw]

I wonder if an hourly Norwich - Ely could slot in on the Breckland? Or even go the whole hog and run it to Cambridge or Stansted?

A second Cambridge to Stansted would be great, the XCs are very crowded by the time they reach Cambridge. Could they maybe also run it to Bury?

Remember there are various capacity issues in the Ely area. Each way off-peak, there's already 2tph Ely - Norwich (GA+EMR), 2.5tph Ely - Peterborough (XC+EMR+GA) and 4tph Ely - Cambridge (GN+GA+XC). Plus all the freight and Ely - Kings Lynn trains. The train activity at Ely is almost non-stop at times. Cambridge - Norwich is also possible with one change via Stowmarket, as an alternative to the direct service.

I don't see any significant increases in train frequencies through Ely happening until the North Junction upgrade project goes ahead.

 

[wagnaga]

Remember there are various capacity issues in the Ely area. Each way off-peak, there's already 2tph Ely - Norwich (GA+EMR), 2.5tph Ely - Peterborough (XC+EMR+GA) and 4tph Ely - Cambridge (GN+GA+XC). Plus all the freight and Ely - Kings Lynn trains. The train activity at Ely is almost non-stop at times. Cambridge - Norwich is also possible with one change via Stowmarket, as an alternative to the direct service.

I don't see any significant increases in train frequencies through Ely happening until the North Junction upgrade project goes ahead.

It feels like the Ely junction is quite a stranglehold to a large part of the east. It's a shame it just doesn't get recognised as important enough to be progressed without further delay.

 

[dk1]

I wonder if an hourly Norwich - Ely could slot in on the Breckland? Or even go the whole hog and run it to Cambridge or Stansted?

Long term plans for half hourly Norwich to Cambridge but like King Lynn it all rests on Ely North Junction re-doubling.

Why this government dithers on upgrading this strategic Junction baffles me.

 

[trebor79]

Remember there are various capacity issues in the Ely area. Each way off-peak, there's already 2tph Ely - Norwich (GA+EMR), 2.5tph Ely - Peterborough (XC+EMR+GA) and 4tph Ely - Cambridge (GN+GA+XC). Plus all the freight and Ely - Kings Lynn trains. The train activity at Ely is almost non-stop at times.

That is true, however there is a period each hour where there are no movements at all for about 15 or 20 minutes, other than maybe one freight.

Long term plans for half hourly Norwich to Cambridge but like King Lynn it all rests on Ely North Junction re-doubling.

Why this government dithers on upgrading this strategic Junction baffles me.

Indeed. It must be much better value that some of the other projects that have been approved.

 

[Mikey C]

Long term plans for half hourly Norwich to Cambridge but like King Lynn it all rests on Ely North Junction re-doubling.

Why this government dithers on upgrading this strategic Junction baffles me.

You imagine that if the plans for major expansion of Cambridge come to fruition, this is the sort of work that will have to happen

 

[dk1]

You imagine that is the plans for major expansion of Cambridge come to fruition, this is the sort of work that will have to happen

Possibly bolted on to East West Rail.

 

[Bald Rick]

Long term plans for half hourly Norwich to Cambridge but like King Lynn it all rests on Ely North Junction re-doubling.

Why this government dithers on upgrading this strategic Junction baffles me.

Remember that it’s not just Ely. Sorting out Ely by itself resolves nothing (other than a few performance issues). Increasing train paths drives other changes, notably to level crossings and signalling over a fairly wide area , which is why the project is known as the “Ely Area Capacity Improvement”.

Re a second Norwich / Cambridge to Stansted - there is no capacity for any more services to Stansted without a second tunnel or new route to the airport.

 

[ac6000cw]

It feels like the Ely junction is quite a stranglehold to a large part of the east. It's a shame it just doesn't get recognised as important enough to be progressed without further delay.

I think pretty much any infrastructure project on this sort of scale takes a long time - not far away from Ely, the recent major, A14 Cambridge - Huntingdon improvement project cost £1.5 billion and took 15 years from public consultations opening to completion, with various re-designs, scope changes, pauses and cancellations along the way (most of them for 'too expensive/not value for money' reasons). After it finally got the go ahead in 2013, it took three years to get development consent and then four years to construct, opening in 2020. That was for 12 miles of new, almost motorway-standard, A-road plus 5 miles of new local roads and 34 bridges and other structures - see https://assets.highwaysengland.co.u...D20_0026+A14+end+of+scheme+brochure+FINAL.pdf. (And that's for a nationally-important trunk road link that joins the M11 and A14 (east) with the A1 and A14 (west) and carries around 85,000 vehicles per day, 26% of them HGVs).

As the current 'Ely Area Capacity Improvement' proposals have a projected cost of around £0.5 billion it's not surprising to me that the 'too expensive/not value for money' problem is rearing it's head...

 

[Haywain]

Remember that it’s not just Ely. Sorting out Ely by itself resolves nothing (other than a few performance issues). Increasing train paths drives other changes, notably to level crossings and signalling over a fairly wide area , which is why the project is known as the “Ely Area Capacity Improvement”.

Doesn't that project also include redoubling the line from Ely to Soham?

 

[Rick1984]

That’s only possible on the main line. Regional stopping services services can only accommodate 4-cars at most intermediate stations.

Yes ASDO is set up to only open the required amount of vehicles but on resignalled routes like Yarmouth/Lowestoft trains are not allowed to overhang or foul foot or level crossings. At stations like Cambridge where platforms 5/6 are often used, these will not accommodate more than one 755. The same is the case with Ipswich platform 1. You could say run them in multiple Norwich-Yarmouth/Lowestoft but only non-stop.

At Stansted Airport the Norwich service relies upon sharing a platform with a 745 so again anything more than a single unit is prohibited.

Ah fair enough. Thought you might get away with 6 cars

 

[dk1]

Doesn't that project also include redoubling the line from Ely to Soham?

Thought it was just loops.

 

[ac6000cw]

Doesn't that project also include redoubling the line from Ely to Soham?

No.

From memory, there are various proposed changes in the Ely station area to improve freight speeds/make it easier to path freight trains through there.

This post (from 3 years ago!) has a summary of the proposed changes - https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/ely-north-junction-upgrade-proposals.68376/post-4832651

Increase in capacity for 10 tph through Ely
Removal of speed restrictions over the two River Ouse bridges
Remodelling of the layout at Ely
Modifying platforms at Ely
Remodelling Ely North Junction
Upgrading signalling
Upgrading or closing 126 level crossings

Completed by 2031.

...and this is the NR page about it - https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...lway-in-anglia/ely-area-capacity-enhancement/

In brief, it's about adding 2.5 passenger and 1 freight train paths per hour (so lifting capacity from 6.5 to 10 tph in total) in each direction through Ely, for around £0.5 billion capital cost.

 

[Babybirdrobin]

Question: Do 3 755’s accelerate faster than one 745?

 

[chubs]

There's still some gaps in the current Norwich - Stansted service too (trains just go Norwich - Cambridge and you have to change like in the old days), would be nice to see them filled in if / when possible.

 

[dk1]

There's still some gaps in the current Norwich - Stansted service too (trains just go Norwich - Cambridge and you have to change like in the old days), would be nice to see them filled in if / when possible.

That’s not possible SX at the moment and hasn’t been since they were extended to the airport in 2019. It’s to do with being unable to marry up pathing in the peaks between north & south of Cambridge. I did hear the rehashing of the timetables was going to help but everything WA wise is on hold until the delayed ECML timetables upgrade gets implemented.

 

[Energy]

Question: Do 3 755’s accelerate faster than one 745?

Yes, the powered bogeys are under the driving cab and either side of the electrical corridor of the 745. 4 powered bogeys on a 745 compared to 3x2 on 3x755s.

As a number 0.9m/s^2 for a 745, 1.1m/s^2 for a 4 car 755 and 1.3m/s^2 for 3 car 755.

 

[Babybirdrobin]

Yes, the powered bogeys are under the driving cab and either side of the electrical corridor of the 745. 4 powered bogeys on a 745 compared to 3x2 on 3x755s.

As a number 0.9m/s^2 for a 745, 1.1m/s^2 for a 4 car 755 and 1.3m/s^2 for 3 car 755.

Interesting, thanks

 

[RailWonderer]

I just saw a triple 755 rake on this diagram today https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:P01549/2023-09-20
Is this the first time a 755 has called at Chelmsford? Normally they keep these on the fasts and not the semi.

 

[Haywain]

Is this the first time a 755 has called at Chelmsford?

I very much doubt that.

 

[dk1]

The 755s have called at Chelmsford many times. Step ups at Norwich frequently take them onto the stopping services.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I just saw a triple 755 rake on this diagram today https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:P01549/2023-09-20
Is this the first time a 755 has called at Chelmsford? Normally they keep these on the fasts and not the semi.

I've had some of them on Stratford calls, so it's not unknown for them to run on the semi fasts.

 

[RailWonderer]

I've had some of them on Stratford calls, so it's not unknown for them to run on the semi fasts.

GA really needs to join know your train on realtimetrains so we can see what is booked on the day, I’m fed up of trying for months now and never seeing one on a semi fast.


Are you just lucky? Without know your train, doing haulage is just pot luck.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

GA really needs to join know your train on realtimetrains so we can see what is booked on the day, I’m fed up of trying for months now and never seeing one on a semi fast.


Are you just lucky? Without know your train, doing haulage is just pot luck.

I'd already got them all for haulage; they turned up while I was spinning 720s - in one instance, I needed to dash back to Liverpool Street to catch something required that I'd passed just short of Stratford so I was getting the next up working regardless of what it was - and a triple 755 was what arrived...

 

[LowLevel]

GA really needs to join know your train on realtimetrains so we can see what is booked on the day, I’m fed up of trying for months now and never seeing one on a semi fast.


Are you just lucky? Without know your train, doing haulage is just pot luck.

Up until recently, bar a select few with access to internal railway systems that could be wrong anyway, it's been pot luck for the last couple of centuries

How quickly RTT has spoiled us!

 

[59CosG95]

Up until recently, bar a select few with access to internal railway systems that could be wrong anyway, it's been pot luck for the last couple of centuries

How quickly RTT has spoiled us!

"Ambassador, with this RTT..."

 

[Bornin1980s]

Don't know if this has been brought up before, but do the four car units really need twice the installed diesel power of the three car units? I understand why an even number of engines would be desirable for weight balance, but there must be cheaper ways of doing that than an unused engine? Or do the four cars ever run with all four engines?

 

[dk1]

Don't know if this has been brought up before, but do the four car units really need twice the installed diesel power of the three car units? I understand why an even number of engines would be desirable for weight balance, but there must be cheaper ways of doing that than an unused engine? Or do the four cars ever run with all four engines?

I would say that recently the chances of having all four engines has grown considerably. During the last year or so it was far more common to have one isolated. That might be down to the engine change program.

 

[Trainbike46]

If I understand correctly, the three car units have blocks of weight installed instead of the missing engines. If that's right, has consideration been given to putting in traction batteries instead (with the same weight)?

 

[dk1]

If I understand correctly, the three car units have blocks of weight installed instead of the missing engines. If that's right, has consideration been given to putting in traction batteries instead (with the same weight)?

Yes it has been but not taken any further so far.