Wires down!

Transport Secretary cancels Midland Main Line and other electrification schemes in favour of bi-mode trains.

EAST Midlands’ electric dream died on July 20, when the Government pulled the plug on electrifying the Midland Main Line from Kettering to Sheffield. It also cancelled overhead wiring plans between Cardiff and Swansea, and Oxenholme-Windermere.

Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling reversed Government policy announced in 2012 ( RAIL 701, below), saying: “The industry is developing alternative-fuel trains, using battery and hydrogen power. This means that we no longer need to electrify every line to achieve the same significant improvements to journeys, and we will only electrify lines where it delivers a genuine benefit to passengers.”

He added that there would be less disruption to passengers compared with that from erecting masts and wires.

The following day Grayling told the Financial Times that trans-Pennine electrification, also pledged in 2012 by David Cameron as Prime Minister, would be unlikely. His comments move Britain away from electrifying rail routes that use generally lighter, cheaper and environmentally friendly trains to a network that continues to rely on burning diesel until new technology (such as batteries or hydrogen fuel cells) comes into everyday rail use.

In July 2015, the Government had said upgrading and electrifying the Midland Main Line had a benefit:cost ratio (BCR) of between 4.7 and 7.2. RAIL asked the DfT what analysis had been done before Grayling’s decision. A spokesman said current BCRs were sensitive information.

Grayling’s decision received widespread condemnation. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said it was a major broken promise, while Swansea Council Leader Rob Stewart said his city had been betrayed.

East Midlands Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Scott Knowles said: “Not that long ago we were told the Midland Main Line would be electrified all the way to Sheffield. This would improve services because electric trains accelerate and brake more efficiently than heavier diesels, and the enhanced operation would give scope for more services to run.”

Welsh Government Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: “The [Cardiff-Swansea] scheme would have delivered important journey time, reliability, efficiency and emissions benefits, promoting economic growth across South Wales. For the UK Government to announce the cancellation of this scheme at this stage and through the press, with no prior warning, was hugely disappointing.” He estimated the costs of

wiring to Swansea at £700 for Welsh projects.

A Welsh Government spokesman added that with a competition under way to find the next Wales and Borders rail operator, he could not comment on the future of electrification for the Cardiff Valleys commuter network.

Drivers’ union ASLEF said the decision showed a lack of ambition, with General Secretary Mick Whelan adding: “Bi-mode trains are more expensive, less reliable and slower to accelerate than electric trains.”

Transport for the North was more conciliatory: “The commitment from the Government to ‘using the best available technology for each part of the network’ is an approach which has

rail infrastructure and the trains that run on it can deliver higher quality services for everyone. While innovative solutions are welcomed, where appropriate, electrification remains an important part of the mix, especially where it can provide the outputs we need for transformational change.”

Grayling’s move away from electrification comes after a string of failed projects from Network Rail. The cost of wiring the Great Western Main Line has tripled from initial estimates, and there remain doubts that the line through Bath and to Oxford will be treated. NR’s project to wire between Gospel Oak and Barking was not completed on time earlier this year, and the line must close again (see pages 10-11). In Scotland, plans to electrify the main route between Edinburgh and Glasgow have also missed deadlines.

Sheffield should still get electric trains, but they will come from High Speed 2 and are not expected in the city until 2033. In the meantime, travellers from the capital are expected to use bi-mode trains running on electricity as far as Kettering (74 miles), before switching to diesel for the remaining 90 miles to Sheffield.

Travellers between Cardiff and Swansea will be using diesel for their 46-mile journey, while those heading for Windermere will complete their journey from Oxenholme over ten miles of single-track diesel railway. Northern said it would introduce electric/ diesel Class 769s to the line.

Grayling told MPs in his statement: “Northern will begin work to explore the possibility of deploying alternative-fuel trains on the route by 2021.” He said he had listened to concerns about electrification masts spoiling the landscape.

At campaign group Railfuture, Bruce Williamson said of Grayling’s decision: “It still leaves us with the unanswered question of how we can get the benefits of electrification in the future. We recognise that the costs of the schemes have spiralled, but the way forward is to address the cause of these cost problems rather than simply abandoning electrification schemes.”

In Swansea, Council Leader Rob Stewart said: “We are angry. We feel we’ve been betrayed by the UK Government. We’ve had meeting after meeting with ministers about the electrification of the line to Swansea. We were assured it would go ahead.”

Great Western Railway provides Swansea’s service from London. GWR spokesman Dan Panes said the city would still receive two offpeak trains per hour from London, using bi-mode trains. NR’s plan had always been to electrify to Cardiff first, where trains would switch to diesel, but as the wires extended the bi-mode could have their diesel engines removed to become straight electric trains.

Panes said GWR still planned to introduce its bi-mode IEP trains this autumn, but added that they would need the power from their diesels increasing so that they could keep to timetables. He said talks were under way between train builder Hitachi and DfT to allow this. DfT confirmed the talks, but would say no more.

Panes added that there was no decision on wiring to Oxford, and noted that the switch from electrification gave GWR less flexibility, particularly for serving smaller stations in the Thames Valley towards Oxford.

He said GWR had ordered seven nine-car bi-mode trains from Hitachi (with more powerful engines) for London-Oxford, but noted that smaller stations were currently served by three-car diesel units. GWR is also receiving fourcar electric trains that would have been ideal for these services but which can’t run beyond Didcot without wires.

In the East Midlands, a new train operator takes over in August 2019. It will inherit a fleet of 27 diesel Class 222s and nine HSTs. The latter must be withdrawn by January 1 2020 or modified to comply with disabled access legislation.

Grayling said the new operator would use bi-mode trains.