Notices

Sir Peter Hendy's independent review of transport connectivity between Britain's four nations is considering the quality of major links across the UK, likely future transport demand and the environmental impact of policy options.

His interim report, published on 10th March, analysed passenger and freight flows between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It identified concerns and explained how the review would prioritise investment to develop a future strategic UK transport network. It noted that this would be an opportunity to promote modal shift to minimise carbon emissions and that, to meet decarbonisation targets, there is a desire for more freight to move by rail and for investment in electrification.

The report shows the scale of annual passenger and freight flows between Britain’s four nations. The number of air and rail passenger journeys between England and Scotland are about the same, at just under ten million, whilst about 26 million people cross the border by car. 27% of vehicles entering Scotland on the M6 are HGVs.

The sea crossing from Northern Ireland to Cairnryan in Scotland carries 1.3 million passengers and freight, of which twothirds is bound for England. 5.3 and 1.1 million passengers respectively fly between England and Scotland to Northern Ireland.

Between England and Wales there are 9.4 million passenger rail journeys, whilst road traffic over the Severn crossings into Wales is twice that of the M6 into Scotland. Unlike other nations, there is significant cross-border commuting between England and Wales, almost all of which is by car.

Issues raised to date include the need for faster and higher-capacity rail connections from England to Scotland and Wales, as well as in the Midlands and northern England. The lack of rail freight gauge clearance to Wales from Didcot was also noted.

Problematic road connections identified include the A75 from Cairnryan to the M6, northern trans-Pennine routes and the M4 corridor. Improved road and rail links to ports are also being considered.

The report’s preliminary economic assessment provides an overview that shows how deprivation, productivity and income varies across the UK. These factors will determine how transport investment might best deliver objectives such as growth and levelling up.

It did not consider a possible fixed link between Northern Ireland and the British mainland. The feasibility, outline cost and timescale of such a link will be part of Sir Peter’s final report to be published this summer.

Carriages inspire next generation of engineers

Three carriages that have carried millions of passengers in and out of the capital are being put to use for the benefit of budding rail engineers.

The former Heathrow Express stock, which ran for 25 years between Paddington Station and Heathrow Airport, has been moved to Siemens Mobility’s new rail manufacturing site at Goole, East Yorkshire.

During their time in service, the units clocked up around three million miles each year. But now they are being fitted out as a facility for training apprentices, as well as hosting schoolchildren and other visitors to the site.

Sambit Banerjee, Managing Director, Rolling Stock and Customer Services for Siemens Mobility in the UK, said: “These trains, which were part of a fleet that carried six million travellers a year, have come to the end of their passenger life but now have an important new role as part of our Goole rail village.

“They will form the perfect backdrop for our apprentices to learn new skills, for schoolchildren to be inspired to be part of a new pipeline of talent for the rail industry, and for other visitors to appreciate the latest digital technologies that are revolutionising the rail network.

“A group of our talented young graduates and apprentices are working on plans to design and equip the trains for their new use and we’re looking forward to visitors experiencing them in the future.”

Siemens Mobility’s investment of up to £200 million in the Goole facility will create up to 700 direct jobs, with a further 250 roles during the construction phase and an additional 1,700 indirect supply chain opportunities.

A dozen apprentices have already been recruited for the plant in what Mr Banerjee described as “life changing events for the apprentices and their families”. They will spend the first year in UK depots and then work in Vienna for a year. Siemens Mobility will be working closely with schools and other bodies in the area around Goole to highlight opportunities.

The new factory is scheduled to open in 2023 when it will begin manufacturing state-of-the-art trains for London Underground’s Piccadilly line. It will be complemented by a neighbouring research, development and innovation cluster and co-located supplier facilities.

The Class 332 carriages join the growing number of redundant trains being repurposed for social and educational purposes. Ex-London Underground C-Stock and D-Stock cars have been given respectively to the Royal Greenwich University Technical College and Copers Lane School in southeast London. Two Eurostar power cars are now at the High Speed Rail Colleges at Doncaster and Birmingham, whilst a Pacer has been donated to Fagley Primary School in Bradford.

Summer opening for tunnel facility

One of the greatest engineering feats on the former Great Central Railway's London Extension is preparing for a new role as a testing facility for road vehicles.

Catesby Tunnel near Daventry will be a global benchmark for vehicle development when it opens later this year. The 2.7km long Victorian structure is set to become the only enclosed, commercially-available test track anywhere in the world allowing an extensive range of studies to be carried out on full-scale cars, including aerodynamic performance, cooling, aeroacoustics, emissions and dirt deposition.

Capable of providing accurate and affordable performance data, the tunnel is being repurposed as part of a multi-million pound project by Brackley-based Aero Research Partners. The sealed, underground working area provides a controlled environment for assured repeatable testing, with no wind and minimal temperature variations. The tarmac surface is being laid to the most stringent of specifications.

The facility is expected to attract customers from Europe and the rest of the world.

Catesby Tunnel was constructed to prevent a local landowner’s views being blighted by unsightly coal trains. Work began in February 1895 and was completed a little over two years later, with the first train passing through the perfectly straight tunnel in July 1898 on a gradient of 1:176. Around 30 million bricks were incorporated into the lining.

The tunnel’s transformation into a state-of-the-art technical facility began in December 2017 and the final phase is currently underway, with a 400-metre road surface already in use for initial testing. The remaining sections will be completed in time for opening this summer.

Adjacent to the south portal is a building that will accommodate fullsized articulated lorries, from which vehicles can be unloaded into two enclosed preparation areas offering complete confidentiality.

Located in the Northamptonshire countryside, the tunnel is situated at the heart of the UK automotive and motorsport industry. The facility is supported by the Catesby Innovation Centre, designed to bring together local high-tech companies in a collection of buildings on the site of the former station at Charwelton.

“We are all very excited to be opening the doors to Catesby Tunnel later this year,” said Rob Lewis, Director at Aero Research Partners. “The tunnel’s infrastructure lends itself perfectly to providing an unrivalled vehicle testing facility where real cars can be tested on a real road in consistent conditions. It has been a huge collaborative effort and we hope to welcome customers from the UK, Europe and worldwide to take advantage of our unique facility.”

PHOTO: FORGOTTEN RELICS