Leaders scathing over ‘bodge’ job bi-mode trains

‘CLUNKY, heavy, slow and smelly’.

That was Leicestershire County Council leader’s verdict on ‘bi-mode’ trains the Government says will run along the Midland Mainline.

The Department of Transport says the trains, which can switch between running on diesel and electric, are new technology that mean the full electrification of the line from London to Sheffield is no longer necessary.

Cllr Nick Rushton is among a large group of senior politicians in the East Midlands who have expressed concern at the Government reneging on its promise to electrify the full route.

He told a recent cabinet meeting at County Hall: “I am disappointed we are getting so-called bi-mode trains.

“They are clunky, they are heavy they are slow and they are smelly.

“We expected to be treated better when the day after cancellation they [the Government] could find £25 billion for Cross Rail in London.”

Despite Government assurances that bi-mode trains will achieve the benefits of electrification without the disruption caused by enabling works, critics remain unconvinced.

They say the technology is untested, the trains are slow and more polluting.

Roger Goodall, professor of control systems engineering, at Loughborough University, described bi-mode trains as ‘a bodge.’

He said he was unaware of anywhere else in the world where they were being used but said he believed they could travel at 120mph under both propulsion systems.

He said: “That is more than enough for what is needed on the line.”

He added: “Electrification is superior from a sustainability point of view but diesel engines are becoming less polluting.

“It is only worth it if the cost of running and maintaining bi-mode trains is less than the cost of electrifying the line and I’m not sure if the business case has been presented yet.”

Last month the county council agreed to support a motion calling for the Government to resurrect full electrification.

A Freedom of Information inquiry by our sister paper The Leicester Mercury showed Network Rail spent some £20 million elevating bridges in Leicestershire to accommodate electric trains before the Government pulled the plug on the scheme.

Some have called for the Government to repay that cash.