Rail electrification scrapped / 'suspended'?

[All Line Rover]

Can't see any threads dedicated to this yet.

The government has scrapped the planned electrification of railway lines in Wales, the Midlands and the North.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the government will instead introduce faster trains with more seats and better on-board facilities.

...

Routes between Cardiff and Swansea, and between Kettering, Nottingham and Sheffield, and between Windermere and Oxenholme will be affected.

Mr Grayling said the new trains on the Great Western and Midland Mainline would be bi-mode, meaning they could run on electrified sections of track and then transfer to non-electrified sections.

He said: "Thanks to this new technology disruptive electrification works... will no longer be needed."

"Passengers will benefit sooner and experience less disruption compared with putting up intrusive wires and masts along routes where they are no longer required."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40669869

Discuss?

 

[philjo]

already under discussion in several threads

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=150732

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=150746

 

[All Line Rover]

Best to have a dedicated thread, is it not, given that this is a 'new' government policy which appears to be common across all electrification schemes?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Extremely sad

 

[Dave1987]

I've said it in the other thread but I will say it again here. There is one factor that has played in the politicians hands, bi-modes! They can get the positive PR why scrapping something that they don't like. Bi-modes killed electrification, end of....

 

[thenorthern]

Looks like electrification to Sheffield is off now, I know they raised a couple of bridges along the Midland Main Line for the wires which seems rather a waste now.

 

[All Line Rover]

If diesel obviates the need for "disruptive electrification works" and "putting up intrusive wires and masts", why bother with bi-mode trains at all? :roll:

 

[Moonshot]

Extremely sad

Im not so sure it is.....train technolgy seems to be moving at a very past pace nowadays. I also cant help notice the number of homes when I m out and about on trains that have solar panels fitted on roof. Times are changing

 

[Gareth Marston]

I've said it in the other thread but I will say it again here. There is one factor that has played in the politicians hands, bi-modes! They can get the positive PR why scrapping something that they don't like. Bi-modes killed electrification, end of....

But we don't know how these miracle trains will perform in actual service yet......oh yes and all that extra weight wears out track quicker and Govt has secured a deal with Hitachi at double the cost of providing straightforward electric trains.....

I cant see much positive PR in how this is being covered.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If diesel obviates the need for "disruptive electrification works" and "putting up intrusive wires and masts", why bother with bi-mode trains at all? :roll:

The wires are already up, what's the point in taking them down?

 

[Bletchleyite]

But we don't know how these miracle trains will perform in actual service yet

Diesel generators are hardly some kind of mythical technology. Voyagers, much as some people don't like the interiors, are DEMUs. It's just a DEMU with a pantograph and a transformer. Nothing amazing about it, it's very mature technology.

 

[snowball]

In addition to the two threads linked by philjo it's under discussion in the MML electrification thread and the CP6 HLOS thread, and has prompted the creation of the Narbeth tunnel thread.

 

[Dave1987]

But we don't know how these miracle trains will perform in actual service yet......oh yes and all that extra weight wears out track quicker and Govt has secured a deal with Hitachi at double the cost of providing straightforward electric trains.....

I cant see much positive PR in how this is being covered.

From the news articles I've read the DFT are still trying to spin it as good news. 'Passengers seeing the benefits of new trains' and 'no disruptive engineering works' blah blah blah. Sure seems to me like they are using the bi-modes to spin this as positive news.

 

[Elecman]

Wonder if Lostock Jct to Wigan is still Live or wether that is dead as well now?

 

[Moonshot]

Wonder if Lostock Jct to Wigan is still Live or wether that is dead as well now?

Not sure,,,though there are some bases already in situ

 

[snowball]

Wonder if Lostock Jct to Wigan is still Live or wether that is dead as well now?

I was wondering that too. It may be a while before we find out.

 

[broadgage]

Im not so sure it is.....train technolgy seems to be moving at a very past pace nowadays. I also cant help notice the number of homes when I m out and about on trains that have solar panels fitted on roof. Times are changing

Agree, BUT surely the increased use of solar panels is a reason to push ahead with rail electrification and not a reason to cancel or postpone it.
Electricity used for traction supplies would be at least partially from renewable sources, whereas diesel fuel is almost entirely non-renewable.

OTOH doubts exist about the future reliability of UK electricity supplies in the winter evening peak, diesel fuel can be stored against shortages unlike electricity.

 

[dtaylor84]

Im not so sure it is.....train technolgy seems to be moving at a very past pace nowadays. I also cant help notice the number of homes when I m out and about on trains that have solar panels fitted on roof. Times are changing

I don't quite understand how ever increasing renewable electricity generation somehow makes the decision to stop investment in electric trains less sad.

 

[Moonshot]

Agree, BUT surely the increased use of solar panels is a reason to push ahead with rail electrification and not a reason to cancel or postpone it.
Electricity used for traction supplies would be at least partially from renewable sources, whereas diesel fuel is almost entirely non-renewable.

OTOH doubts exist about the future reliability of UK electricity supplies in the winter evening peak, diesel fuel can be stored against shortages unlike electricity.

We could always bring back steam trains powered by biomass !!

 

[Mag_seven]

Routes between Cardiff and Swansea, and between Kettering, Nottingham and Sheffield, and between Windermere and Oxenholme will be affected.

I assume that Swindon Bristol via Bath, Oxford, Newbury and TPE will still go ahead?

 

[thenorthern]

Has anyone noticed that after the 2015 election the Conservatives announced delays in electrifying the Midland Main Line and other lines and they deliberately waited until after the election.

Its now been just over a month since the last election and they have announced this, I think again they deliberately waited until after the election again.

 

[Mag_seven]

I suspect the funds saved will be re-diverted to electrify Northern Ireland's railways.

 

[snowball]

I assume that Swindon Bristol via Bath, Oxford, Newbury and TPE will still go ahead?

Newbury is definitely happening and is supposed to be ready by December 2018, the same as Didcot-Cardiff. The others (together with Bristol Parkway to TM and the branches to Windsor and Henley) are unknown, but my guess is they will happen in CP6.

 

[kylemore]

Abject Failure dressed up - a British speciality - see Dunkirk!

Talk about polishing a Turd!

 

[snowball]

Has anyone noticed that after the 2015 election the Conservatives announced delays in electrifying the Midland Main Line and other lines and they deliberately waited until after the election.

Its now been just over a month since the last election and they have announced this, I think again they deliberately waited until after the election again.

I'm sure it was cynical calculation in 2015. I'm not so sure about this year as the election was unexpected, whereas today's date was fixed long in advance for the publication of the HLOS.

 

[30909]

Money saved to be spent on HS2 I wonder? If further electrification is possible will it be in 3rd rail territory not so disruptive and or visually impacting?

 

[All Line Rover]

The wires are already up, what's the point in taking them down?

I was alluding to my cynicism of Grayling using diesel as a justification for suspending electrification. It leads one to question the purpose of any electrification.

 

[30909]

Money saved to be spent on HS2 I wonder? If further electrification is possible will it be in 3rd rail territory not so disruptive and or visually impacting?

 

[thenorthern]

Money saved to be spent on HS2 I wonder? If further electrification is possible will it be in 3rd rail territory not so disruptive and or visually impacting?

Don't joke 3rd rail would be ideal for the Windermere Branch Line as it wouldn't involve catenary and given that it has a very low speed limit the limitations of 3rd rail in traveling over 80 mph wouldn't be an issue.

 

[coppercapped]

Abject Failure dressed up - a British speciality - see Dunkirk!

Talk about polishing a Turd!

Wrong analogy.

The evacuation at Dunkirk was an outstanding success - it saved the bulk of the Army to fight again.

What led up to it was an abject failure.