Pressure mounts on Government over future electrification
A TOTAL of 17 business, industry and campaign groups – including the Rail Delivery Group, the Rail Freight Group, Railway Industry Association and Railfuture – have stepped up the pressure on the Government to start a programme of rolling electrification as soon as possible.
The open letter to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps follows the release of the ‘Why Rail Electrification?’ report, produced by the Railway Industry Association and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
The report sets out why – even with the development of clean, new technologies like battery and hydrogen trains – the industry will be unable to decarbonise the rail network to the extent required without significant further electrification. Britain is aiming to eliminate all diesel trains by 2040 and Net Zero by 2050.
Affordable
Only 38% of the UK network is electrified, compared to 56% in France, 76% in The Netherlands, and 99% in Switzerland. Just
156 miles in the UK were electrified in 2019/20.
Network Rail’s interim decarbonisation study suggested a network 130000 single-track kms by 2050 and has a target of electrifying 280 miles annually between now and 2050.
The only schemes presently taking place are Colton JctLeeds, Glendon Jct to Market Harborough, and the line to East Kilbride in Scotland.
Darren Caplan, chief executive of the Railway Industry Association (RIA), said: “The report clearly shows the rail industry will be unable to decarbonise the network without a rolling programme of electrification.
“As RIA has demonstrated in recent work, electrification in the UK can be delivered affordably, at up to 50% of the cost of some past projects if there is a long-term, consistent profile of work rather than the current situation of boom and bust.”
The report’s lead author, David Shirres, added: “If Britain is to decarbonise, transport has to be weaned off petroleum, for which the only zero-carbon alternative is electricity.
“However, electricity can only be transmitted to fixed locations and then converted into another form of energy for on-board storage. This significantly limits a vehicle’s power and range.
Benefits
“In contrast, electric trains collect electricity on the move from fixed current collection systems and feed it straight into their motors without any energy conversion losses. Hence, they offer efficient high-powered net-zero carbon traction with large passenger, freight, and operational benefits.”
The joint letter adds that the country is at a critical juncture for decarbonising, and there is a risk to skills and expertise once current schemes end. The letter also warns of a risk of repeating mistakes of the past.
The signatories to the letter want the Government to authorise a ‘no regret’ electrification scheme as a start of a rolling programmes. Such a move, they say, would support jobs, investment and economic growth, and show the UK’s commitment as a global leader in tackling climate change, with the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) planned for Glasgow in November this year.