Background

It was in the 2012 High Level Output Specification that Government announced plans to electrify the Midland Main Line. It was planned that London St Pancras-Derby/Nottingham would be served by electric trains from December 2019, and Sheffield by the end of 2020.

In June 2015, thenSecretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin ‘paused’ electrification of the MML, and in July last year current SoS Chris Grayling cancelled it north of Kettering/Corby, while at the same time announcing a fleet of bi-modes would enter traffic in 2022.

In a statement to RAIL on March 16, Porterbrook said: “At the same time as uncertainty over route electrification, the dates for re-letting the East Midlands franchise have also changed. The current East Midlands Trains franchise was originally due to run between November 2007 and October 2015. The EMT franchise was granted a Direct Award that saw the franchise extended, originally until March 2018 and subsequently until March 2019. It is likely there may be a further possible extension until August 2019.”

It said that it is “normal practice for a new franchisee to specify and order replacement rolling stock as part of its franchise bid. Uncertainty over both electrification and changes to the franchising timetable mean that it will not be possible for the next incumbent of the East Midlands franchise to order and introduce new trains by December 31 2019.”