Jon WorthFeb 26

I am aware I am straying into an area beyond my regular #CrossChannelRail passenger expertise, but I do not really follow the logic of this "regular freight from Barking to continental Europe" story, UK side https://www.gov.uk/government/news/landmark-deal-paves-way-for-return-of-regular-cross-channel-rail-freight

Yes, they'll fix the terminal a bit. But is running from there going to be economic? And who is going to run the trains?

Landmark deal paves way for return of regular cross-Channel rail freight

Regular rail freight traffic through the Channel Tunnel will help reduce pollution, potholes and congestion while providing new jobs across the UK.

GOV.UK
Show threadMoritz KräheFeb 26
@jon I think locomotives were the biggest issue. You can't just take a Vectron or Traxx through the tunnel currently.
Show threadJon WorthFeb 26
@moritzkraehe No. There are plenty of Class 92, 10 spare are stored. The issue is high costs to operate, and - partly - a messy layout of the Barking terminal.
Show threadMoritz KräheFeb 26
@jon But the 92s aren't great. I read a fairly detailed analysis on Channel Tunnel freight a while back -- can't find it right now sadly -- and if I remember correctly the 92s can't work in multiple, which severely restricts possible train lengths on HS1.
Show threadJon WorthFeb 26

@moritzkraehe you can’t get any train longer than 750m into Barking. So 🤷‍♂️

Absence of multiple working might be more a constraint on lines other than HS1, but there you have the loading gauge issue that’s even more problematic.

Show threadMoritz KräheFeb 26

@jon I found the paper -- it's an interesting, and frustrating, read: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/International-Rail-Freight-Opportunities-for-Growth.pdf

The limit for one 92 is 1100 t on HS1 -- Easy to reach that with trains far shorter than 750 m.

There also aren't plenty of 92s, only 16 of them have TVM430 which is necessary for the tunnel.

Show threadJon WorthFeb 26
@moritzkraehe so of a class of 46 locomotives to use for tunnel traffic they did not equip 30 of them with the necessary signalling? That’s absurd! Although channel tunnel freight is so limited currently you’d not need more than 4 or 5 currently.
Show threadMoritz KräheFeb 26
@jon Maybe they changed the signalling in the tunnel at some point but didn't update most of the locomotives because there wasn't enough freight traffic to justify it?
Show threadJon Worth
@moritzkraehe no, it’s been TVM430 from the start.
Feb 26 at 2:01pmWeb