The thread on pollution at Birmingham New Street prompted this question. New Street is one of the major interchanges (perhaps, London aside, the biggest) in the country and yet so many of the trains using it are diesel powered. It should be a no-brainer for any main lines through the heart of a major city to be pollution free.
By contrast, the railway system in Italy, apart from a few minor rural lines, is almost completely electrified. Genova, the city I know best there, is smaller than Birmingham, and geographically more peripheral to the rest of the country; nevertheless most trains run through the city in tunnel between the two main stations and all are electrically powered. Historically, and still today, Italy has had a weaker economy than the UK, so why the discrepancy?
As far as I know, the Netherlands and Belgium have also electrified virtually 100% of their networks, and other European countries a much higher proportion than we have. The reluctance to modernise obviously goes much further back than 21st century 'austerity', so what other explanations are there?
By contrast, the railway system in Italy, apart from a few minor rural lines, is almost completely electrified. Genova, the city I know best there, is smaller than Birmingham, and geographically more peripheral to the rest of the country; nevertheless most trains run through the city in tunnel between the two main stations and all are electrically powered. Historically, and still today, Italy has had a weaker economy than the UK, so why the discrepancy?
As far as I know, the Netherlands and Belgium have also electrified virtually 100% of their networks, and other European countries a much higher proportion than we have. The reluctance to modernise obviously goes much further back than 21st century 'austerity', so what other explanations are there?