Central Railway is not about building a big new railway, but rather about adapting, restoring and improving what are currently separate and under-used sections of existing, and sometimes dismantled or disused, railway. Inevitably the route therefore already links into many other railways on the Continent and in Britain.
To make a coherent spinal rail route it is necessary to build short but comparatively expensive linking works, often tunnels. The overall the effect would be to create a system of up to 800 miles (1,250km) at, overall, a much lower expense than that of a new railway.
Central Railway proposes that existing railway alignments on both sides of the Channel be connected up and upgraded to provide capacity for new lorries-on-trains rail services and all types of UK and Continental freight trains.
The company is now revising its proposals in a number of ways so as to increase the lorry traffic attracted onto its proposed semi-trailers shuttles. A revised proposal would also make easier for other rail freight operators to use the route on the Continent and in Britain. On the Continent the company wishes to develop extensions of its scheme towards Antwerp and Germany, and further into northern France. A link towards Germany would both attract more lorries onto Central Railway lorry shuttles and permit special wagons carrying lorry trailers from Britain to run far into Germany and central Europe. In the UK Central Railway's earlier 2000-2004 route and route alternatives between Liverpool and Buckinghamshire remain but alternative routes running on existing lines in London and Kent, and separately northwards towards Scotland, are being developed. The former is currently expected to replace Central Railway's earlier proposals around the southwest quadrant of London's M25 orbital motorway.
Technical and operating characteristicsIt is proposed to adopt diesel traction (except through the Channel Tunnel where electric traction is required). Train lengths of 1,500m are also envisaged. This is a modest length in international terms but was very new for Europe when we proposed it in 2000-2004 (now EWS, currently the biggest UK operator, is also suggesting longer trains). Here and on the Continent freight trains are half as long or less which naturally makes rail freight unecessarily uncompetitive.
The route is intended to permit largely non-stop average 60mph running between new motorway linked road rail transfer sites. In places, for reasons of economy, lower line speeds on a few sections may be accepted. To minimise the number of locomotives used and get the best energy savings the line is designed not to have gradients in excess of 1%, i.e. no more than a 10 metres change in height above sea level in each kilometre of route distance.
Structures over the line would be (re)built to be high enough for flat wagons carrying lorry trailers but also for well wagons carrying two 'double stack 9'6" containers. The latter requirement implies a static train height under overhead structures of 6.1-6.2 metres (i.e. just over twenty feet compared to current clearances of around 4 metres. Wherever possible the company will seek to lower the trackbed rather tnan raise bridges.
The company recognises that it has not yet been demonstrated that two 9'6" double stack containers can be carried through the Channel Tunnel but it is a matter of a very few inches within the Tunnel's overall 7.6m diameter and it seems possible that modifications to the overhead wires and/or the track in the Tunnel would suffice. In any case the outcome of this issue cannot affect Central Railway's revenues negatively as they are based solely on lorry revenues. The double stack technique permits 65% more containers to be carried by the same length train at an average cost saving of around 25% per container over current short 'single-stack' container trains so the company thinks it makes sense to provide for its eventual appearance in Europe.
In addition to running lorry trailer shuttles the railway could also carry the first double stack container trains in Europe.