A compelling case for the first big electrification programme for 20 years will be presented on Friday by the company that runs Britains railways a move that would cut rail costs and lead to faster, more reliable and cleaner journeys.
The Network Rail consultation will say electrification of much of the Great Western route from London to western England and Wales and of the Midland main line from London to Sheffield makes most sense. Neither project would need any government grant or subsidy.
Geoff Hoon, transport secretary, has welcomed the report, calling it a valuable step. The Department for Transport is due to decide later this year on a resumption of rail electrification.
The government is committed to electrification because of the benefits it brings to rail passengers, through more reliable and comfortable electric trains and a reduction in the countrys carbon emissions and the cost of running the railway, Mr Hoon said.
He is likely to come under pressure from train operators to decide fast in order to lift uncertainty over whether new electric or diesel trains should be ordered for routes.
The last big electrification project was on the London-Edinburgh east coast main line, authorised in 1984 and completed in 1991. Since privatisation in the mid-1990s, only further small sections of line have been electrified, usually to provide extra routes for electric trains round engineering work. Only 40 per cent of the network is electrified, a far lower proportion than in countries such as Germany and France.
Electric trains cost 33 per cent less per mile to maintain than diesel trains, the document says. They cost 45 per cent less in fuel, 18 per cent less to lease and produce less damage to track. Passengers should also enjoy shorter journeys thanks to electric trains superior acceleration.
While emissions vary between train types, carbon dioxide emissions per mile from electric trains can be less than half those for comparable diesels.
The cost of putting up electric wires on the Midland main line from Bedford to Nottingham and Sheffield, and on the Great Western route from Maidenhead to Bristol and Swansea is likely to be relatively low. The Midland route cost would probably be about £100m and the Great Western about £120m.
However, neither figure includes the cost of new electric trains, any new signalling required or alterations to bridges and tunnels. There are 90 structures on the Midland main line that would require alterations, while on the Great Western main line the main obstacle is the four-and-a-half-mile long Severn tunnel, which leaks heavily.
The east coast main line project cost £306m in 1984 prices, including new trains and signalling, although many observers believe savings on the overhead line equipment in that project have contributed to its unreliability since.
Apart from the Midland and Great Western routes, the document identifies some projects including electrification of much of the inter-city cross-country network whose benefits outweigh costs to the government by five or more times.
A government subsidy would be required, however, because many of the benefits would be non-financial ones such as a cleaner environment.
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