‘Time to dig deep and electrify all of Midland Main Line’
SUBHEAD 20PT REGION BEING SHORT-CHANGED SAY EAST MIDLANDS BUSINESS LEADERS
THE government must dig deep and deliver on its plans to electrify the entire Midland Main Line, says East Midlands Chamber, following news that Network Rail only expects the upgrade to be done by 2050.
Last week, the UK’s railway operator put out a report saying it wants to have green trains running on an extra 4,800 miles of railway line by 2050.
East Midlands Mainline commuters were told back in 2017 that the government was scrapping £1.1 billion plans to electrify the whole of the line from London St Pancras to Sheffield.
Instead, electrification will now only go as far as Market Harborough, and “bi-mode” trains will run on electricity for part of the route before switching to less eco-friendly diesel.
That decision came after millions of pounds had already been spent remodelling a number of railway bridges in Leicestershire to accommodate the overhead cabling required for electrification.
Politicians and business leaders have continued pushing the government to reverse the decision which, they said, short-changed the East Midlands.
The chamber has joined calls from other bodies, including Midlands Connect, to reinstate the original scheme immediately and get on with work that is ready to go.
East Midlands Chamber chief executive, Scott Knowles, said: “Electrifying our railways is an ambitious strategy that should be welcomed across the board because it has both economic and environmental benefits that today’s and tomorrow’s demands.
“Electric trains are cleaner, lighter, more resilient and require less maintenance than diesel trains – which are often responsible for creating emissions hotspots around the railway stations that are supposed to signify sustainability in the transport sector.
“Not only are Network Rail’s plans consistent with the government’s UK net-zero 2050 strategy, but it would bring closer integration with HS2, including the planned East Midlands hub at Toton that remains essential to the region’s growth.
“Previous assessments have shown how improvements to the Midland Main Line will deliver a fantastic benefit-cost ratio and would have a greater return on investment than similar schemes anywhere else in the country.
“However, promises to electrify the entire line have not been met and the region has missed out on the economic prosperity this could bring.
“Infrastructure investment is now at the heart of the government’s economic recovery strategy so we would hope that this report will pave the way for the scheme to finally be delivered in full.
“All the planning is in place to make this happen as soon as the green light is given so now is the time to get on with it in order to deliver its benefits as soon as possible.”
The Network Rail Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy was issued by Network Rail to the Treasury as a business case for making green improvements to rail infrastructure, outlining how to remove diesel-only trains from the network. fit