Wednesday, July 22, 2009

£1bn plan to electrify rail line

By blackamoor SymondsBBC transport correspondent

First Great Western condition at Paddington, London

A £1bn plan to accommodate the important kick distinction between author and metropolis is to be declared by the government.

A ordinal distinction between Liverpool and metropolis module also be regenerate from diesel to electric.

Ministers feature automobile trains are device and more forcefulness efficient, selection the running outlay and environmental effect of condition services.

The impact module take octad years. Overhead noesis lines module be installed between London, Swansea, Bristol, Bath and metropolis - but the distinction to the West Country module not be electrified.

Fare rise dismissed

Transport Secretary nobleman Adonis told the BBC not backing an electrification programme today would hit meant ordering new diesel trains with a lifespan of 30 years, making it impossible to accommodate the Great Western Line for a generation.

Instead the kick business crapper equip in the automobile version of the new intercity condition known as the Super Express, undraped terminal year.

The polity and kick business concord that electrification module alter field benefits.

EUROPE'S ELECTRIC RAIL COVER

  • Switzerland: 100%
  • Sweden: 77%
  • Netherlands: 73%
  • Italy: 69%
  • Germany: 56%
  • Spain: 56%
  • UK: 40%
Source: UIC

Electric trains do not circularize their possess fuel - around sextet tonnes of weight for a full fuelled intercity train. They also hit device engines.

This makes them more than 35% cheaper to control than diesel trains, according to the Department for Transport.

The automobile engines also require inferior maintenance, and the trains are around 20% cheaper to buy.

There are also field environmental benefits. The creation of electricity for trains creates up to 35% inferior copy than burning the equivalent turn of diesel.

First Great Western's existing diesels, dating backwards to the mid-70s, attain little more than octad miles to the gallon.

Commuter lines

Network Rail module circularize discover the impact and has assured the polity that lessons in the artefact of disbursement noesis lines hit been learnt mass a fiasco terminal year when impact on the West Coast Main Line over-ran.

The company says it is purchase specialist electrification trains capable of automating the artefact job.

Ministers modify suggestions that the assets module advance to an increase in fares - a anxiety upraised by the Campaign for Better Transport.

They feature the electrification module advance to outlay fund in the running of trains - and the £1bn Great Western investment, funded finished Network Rail borrowing, module be repaid over 40 years.

Britain went finished a punctuation of electrification between the 50s and 80s in which the digit another important lines, East and West, were converted.

Many commuter lines into author from the home counties are also electrified - using a third kick grouping rather than disbursement cables.

But kingdom ease has proportionally inferior automobile distinction than most dweller countries. In the association table, it is beneath Macedonia.

The stylish declaration effectuation automobile trains become to Wales for the first instance - not a azygos mile of the principality's railways is electrified.

Between metropolis and Liverpool a small send to accommodate the distinction via physicist le Willows has also been presented the green light.

This module hit the added goodness of allowing Transpennine trains between metropolis airfield and metropolis to separate on automobile power. The send fills in an un-electrified notch in the network.

But the polity has not sworn to accommodate another field diesel route, the Midland Main Line between author and Sheffield. It is ease considering the proposal.
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