Wales Route Director presses case for electrification

Railway upgrades, including electrification of certain routes, could take place in a post-pandemic world.

However, the benefits of certain schemes have yet to be determined, with the industry still bearing the scars from previous electrification projects.

That was the message Network Rail’s Wales and Borders Route Director Bill Kelly delivered to the Welsh Affairs Committee on February 11.

He told the committee: “There are no doubts that east-west connectivity is crucial and I am sure electrification could play a role, but the landscape has changed and who knows what that could provide.”

Kelly suggested that connectivity from the North Wales coast to Manchester and Liverpool was vital, and that even if the North Wales Main Line was not fully wired, there was every chance that intermittent electrification could be used to improve journeys.

Transport for Wales Chief Executive James Price told the committee that both the UK and Welsh Governments have ambitious decarbonisation targets, and that it was hard to see how they could be met without wires being erected on parts of the Welsh network.

And Great Western Railway Managing Director Mark Hopwood said: “We want more operations in an environmentally-friendly way. I think generally that means electrification, but perhaps also batteries or hydrogen.”

He suggested that CardiffSwansea offered potential.