RAIL EXPRESS ANALYSIS SPECIAL ELECTRIFICATION
No electrification commitment following COP26 climate change conference
that the cause of delay and cost escalation between 2014-19 was the lack of industry experience.
The RIA believes it is important that the development of hydrogen as a fuel source is not allowed to obscure the reality that although it is expected that new technology will enable the carbonfree operation of local passenger services, it is unlikely to be suitable for high-speed passenger trains or freight operations because of their high energy demand.
As a result, it has said that the Government should not wait until regulatory Control Period 7 (which starts in 2024) before agreeing what the programme should be. There is some sign of progress as the scorecard for projects in England in addition to HS2 includes the NPR route between Liverpool and York, the Midland Main Line between Market Harborough, Nottingham, and Sheffield and an in-fill scheme between Wigan and Bolton.
In contrast to England and
Wales, there is a defined programme in Scotland, where wiring will be completed in the central belt serving Glasgow and Edinburgh, including the recently opened Borders Railway, and main line routes to Aberdeen and Inverness. Battery technology, enhanced by hydrogen fuel cells, is the expected solution to the net zero carbon objective for the operation of rural routes such as the Far North and West Highland lines.
TRACTION DECARBONISATION NETWORK STRATEGY
In July 2020 Network Rail published its views on traction decarbonisation in a network strategy which mirrors the policy adopted in Scotland, with electrification recommended on main line and longer distance secondary routes, and the choice of hydrogen/ battery technology recommended where there is low traffic density and/ or short routes. In terms of the future types of traction used, the total was seen as 86% electric, 9% hydrogen and 5% battery.
Current research shows that electrified operation is the only credible way to provide the power necessary to haul bulk and intermodal freight trains. With existing technology hydrogen power would require a support vehicle (tender) of at least the size of the locomotive as a result of low transmission efficiency.
It has been calculated that it would only require 10% of the programme identified by NR to be implemented to allow 70% of current freight operations to use electric traction.
The electric spine was a previous project aimed at the needs of freight operators with a proposal to electrify between Southampton and the Midlands, with connections to main line routes to reach further afield. It was criticised as having excessive cost because a change from third rail to overhead current collection was proposed between Southampton and Basingstoke which would have required the conversion of passenger trains.
It also stipulated that the new East West Railway (EWR) between Oxford and Cambridge needed to be wired, with connections to the West Coast route at
The Midland Main Line is to be fully electrified from Market Harborough to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield via Leicester. Completion is expected in the early 2030s. Here a Class 222 diesel-only DEMU No. 222010 calls at Leicester on August 3 with a southbound service to London St Pancras International. These units are due to be replaced by Hitachi bi-mode trains from 2023. BC Collection
Bletchley, Midland Main Line at Bedford, and East Coast route at the proposed intersection in the St Neots area.
Construction of the EWR continues, utilising much of the former track bed of the closed line between the university cities, although the preferred route of a new alignment between Bedford and Cambridge, which will be routed
via Cambourne, has been identified, as much of the previous formation has been lost to development. However, electrification has not been authorised and as a result a procurement notice has been issued to acquire the necessary diesel units for the line which emphasises a lost opportunity to use electric traction.
Continued on p.16