Electrification programme
The case for railway electrification was given in the Rail Electrification paper published by DfT in 2009. Railfuture welcomed the following inclusion of a large number of electrification projects in the High Level Output Specification for Control Period 5 (2014-19), on the basis that investment was necessary to reduce unit operating costs so that additional capacity can be provided to accommodate rail travel growth without requiring more subsidy.
However on 20 July 2017 the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling cancelled the planned electrification of the Midland Main Line north of Kettering, the Great Western Main Line west of Cardiff, and Oxenholme to Windermere, proposing replacement by bi-modes and other forms of traction. Since this announcement, the following projects have been completed:
However on 20 July 2017 the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling cancelled the planned electrification of the Midland Main Line north of Kettering, the Great Western Main Line west of Cardiff, and Oxenholme to Windermere, proposing replacement by bi-modes and other forms of traction. Since this announcement, the following projects have been completed:
- Glasgow Queen Street via Falkirk High to Edinburgh Waverley
- Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley to Stirling and Alloa
- Grangemouth
- Glasgow Central via Shotts to Edinburgh Waverley (electric services expected to start March 2019)
- Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria via Bolton to Preston, also the Ordsall chord
- Preston to Blackpool
- Bromsgrove to Barnt Green
- Walsall to Rugeley (electric services expected to start May 2019)
- Gospel Oak to Barking/Barking Riverside
- Maidenhead to Didcot
- Reading to Newbury
- Didcot to Cardiff
Current projects
Network Rail still has the following 3 electrification projects in progress:- Bedford to Corby (now well advanced)
- Wigan North West to Lostock Junction (authorised but not yet started so effectively cancelled - feasibility study also under way on Wigan Wallgate)
- Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge (authorised but not yet started except for preparation at Ashton on power and layout)
Proposed projects
These schemes are seeking approval or confirmation:- HS2 Phase 2 - the Hybrid Bill has been introduced to Parliament for Phase 2a and the route has been announced for Phase 2b. Phase 2b will also include electrification of the existing Erewash Valley and Midland Main Line route between Alfreton and Sheffield.
- Leeds to Manchester - The National Infrastructure Commission High Speed North report called for the trans-Pennine (Manchester to Leeds) rail route to be electrified and upgraded, but the Transport Secretary has been quoted as saying that full electrification is unlikely. Only electrification can deliver the quicker more reliable journeys, over the Pennine gradients, needed for the economic prosperity of these cities. Network Rail has started by consulting on electrification and four-tracking between Huddersfield and Dewsbury, which Railfuture supports because this section is the slowest, most difficult and most capacity constrained on the route.