Going back to the original question – the fundamental difficulty is that either biomass trains cross across the centre of Manchester or take a circular route that crosses radial routes. Train paths through the centre of Manchester are already constrained and will be further constrained after the opening of the Ordsall Chord – by both the increased number of passenger services that the TOC’s wish to operate through the Manchester Hub and the increased speeds that they wish to operate them. Trains taking the orbital route find themselves having to make short transits either along or across the major routes out of Manchester and although not taking up as much scarce network capacity still need to fit between radial passenger flows. The differential in acceleration and speed between loaded and unloaded trains means that this an asymmetric problem – with westbound empty trains being less disruptive than slower eastbound trains. This is all played out against significant peak hour passenger flows.
The solutions appear to be either tinkering with the existing traction or devising new routes that do not involve crossing the city centre or having to wait at each radial/orbital conflict point. Electrification of key freight routes in the Manchester area is not unknown but is unlikely to be repeated unless lay by loops are installed over Diggle.
Another alternative is not use Liverpool Drax as the key supply route. As others have pointed out Immingham has similar facilities to Liverpool following the run- down of its coal terminal and a relatively easy run not involving major cities or upland ranges. It was named as part of a three port group by Drax when setting up their infrastructure chain. The third port was Newcastle – but the latter’s biomass capacity is now in part being taken up by the operation of Tyne Dock to Lynemouth.
Whilst this would work for Drax – this would be bad news for Peel – who own neither Immingham or Newcastle. They do however own Hunterston – from whence bulk coal trains ran via the G&SWR and Midland Settle and Carlisle route. Whilst this might suit Peel – it would not suit Merseyside for whom the new port facilities in Liverpool is critical.
This would bring us to the final question how to get biomass from Liverpool to Drax without crossing Manchester. There might a solution in the traffic flow was diverted via Ormskirk and Blackburn using the existing grade separated junction over the WCML at Lostock Hall. It would involve engineering a link at the Liverpool end between the end of the Westminster Tunnel, running under Kirkdale Station and the vacant track bed running up the west side of Kirkdale cutting using the now vacant tunnel bore to Walton Junction. Granted this would involve creating a junction under Kirkdale Station and involve a gradient in the mile long stretch from Birkdale to Walton Junction – that may require banking. Facilities and Aintree to drop the banker and the whenever would arise in providing a new link from Liverpool and possibly Southport to Preston relieving pressure on the WCML and approach routes to Manchester and Liverpool. It could also provide a catalyst for the reopening of the north Mersey branch from Aintree to Bootle reducing the load at Walton Junction.
Each of the options above have a price and the more ambitious the option the greater the price. However, it seems reasonable to suppose that whenever NPR gets built, local passenger services will take over paths vacated by NPR routed inter city services and that the conflicts between radial and orbital transits will continue and indeed may get worse. The Drax bio mass power stations have a working life in excess of thirty years – which would suggest that this problem will not go away and that long term and unapologetically radical ideas should be considered.
For the benefit of members unfamiliar with the area I annex some images. Apologies to whose unable to access them.
Walton Junction
Kirkdale Cutting
Westminster Tunnel in relation to Kirkdale
