Ready for electrification

THE announcement on September 1 to electrify the 14-mile line between Bolton and Wigan provides hope that a similar announcement will soon be made to electrify Filton Bank to Bristol Temple Meads through to Bath Spa and thence to the already electrified Great Western main line.

Electrification was deferred in 2016 as it was argued that Bristol and Bath could be served by bimodal trains (electric trains with heavy diesel motors slung underneath).

Ever since Nikola Tesla devised high-voltage multi-phase alternating current as an optimum form of power transfer, the rail industry the world over has been converging on 25kV AC as the method of choice to power trains, the UK is no exception to this fact.

Despite this logic that Brunel, were he alive today, could easily follow, Bristol Temple Meads is a frustrating four miles from the electrified main line serving London and Cardiff.

The excuses for continued deferment of electrification are fast running out.

The remodelling of Bristol East Junction that was due to be completed on September 3 provides a new and more efficient layout, including an extra line that removes a bottleneck and permits the four tracks of Filton Bank to work to near full capacity (true full capacity requires electrification).

The challenge of electrifying the Severn Tunnel has been solved, proven by the spotting of Londonbased electric-only GWR Electrostars in the Welsh capital.

Electrification will make it easier to serve any proposed new stations in the Bristol area, due to improved acceleration and quieter trains.

Much of the bridge and gantry raising and track lowering work has already been carried out. Developments in South Wales suggest that any remaining bridge raising could be avoided by using high-voltage resistant paint applied to the underside of bridges, saving time, money, and disruption.

The delicate issue of wiring up through Bath had been resolved with concerned stakeholders before deferment in 2016.

To put it simply, Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Spa are now ovenready for electrification.

The benefits of electrification for Bristol, Bath and the West Country are enormous, and the completion of Bristol East Junction and other civil works puts the onus on Bristol’s and its surrounding area’s political leadership to press the Government to commit to ending Bristol’s Alcatraz-like isolation from country’s electrified rail network. Removing its historic carbon dependency for transport for good. Eric Wildman

Madrid