Wednesday 28 Oct 2009

FINAL ELECTRIFICATION STUDY CONFIRMS BUSINESS CASE FOR GREAT WESTERN MAIN LINE

Region & Route:
Wales & Western: Western
| Wales & Western

A plan to expand the electrified network that would increase capacity, improve journeys while reducing costs and carbon emissions was unveiled today in a year-long study published by Network Rail. 

The final electrification route utilisation strategy also confirms the business case for electrifying the Great Western main line, backing government’s funding decision that was announced in July.

Work is currently underway to establish the precise construction techniques and designs to install power lines efficiently and to cost, while keeping disruption to a minimum on the Great Western main line. 

The electrification of the Great Western main line will be completed in phases, coinciding with the introduction of a new fleet of electric trains - Super Express trains (IEP) - in 2016/2017, allowing the benefits of this electrification to be gained right away.

Network Rail will draw on national and international experience to guide the delivery of this scheme and will look to adopt the following best practices:  

·         Implement within an eight-hour window

·         Apply new techniques to construct and deliver work in the most effective and efficient manner with minimal disruption.

·         Aim to always have a diversionary route open

Electrification can pay for itself when the whole life costs of both trains and track are taken into account.  As the trains are cheaper to hire, maintain and run and track maintenance and renewal costs come down due to lighter trains and less wear, the savings that can be made can actually outweigh the up-front investment.

Network Rail’s chief executive Iain Coucher said: “Passengers would see enormous benefits from further electrification with faster, quieter, smoother, greener journeys.  Electric trains are not only better for the environment, but are quieter and smoother for passengers while causing less wear and tear to the track. They are more reliable and often faster.  

“Further electrification will also help open up more diversionary routes, so that we can keep people on trains and off buses as we carry out planned rail improvement work. Our plans to develop an engineering method that can install power lines quickly, and efficiently, without disrupting services and at a cost that is affordable are already at an advanced stage."

The benefits of electric train over diesel are huge:

  • 50% cheaper to run electric trains over diesel equivalents
  • 33% cheaper to maintain
  • Electric trains are 90% more reliable (21k miles per break-down compared to 11k on average for diesels)
  • Electrification can pay for itself with cost savings outweighing the up-front investment
  • Up to 30% less CO2

The study also concludes that the electrification of the Midland Main Line - the main route from London St Pancras to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield - has an extremely attractive business case and could, over the course of 60 years, pay for itself.

The publication of the study - the network-wide route utilisation strategy (RUS) on electrification - follows extensive consultation. The strategy forms part of a long-term plan being drawn up by Network Rail in conjunction with the industry partners to meet rising demand for passenger and freight services.

Notes to editors

1.      Currently only 40% of the rail network is electrified, including most of the south east of England, and the main lines from London to Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as the Merseyrail network around Liverpool and the Glasgow suburban network. Almost 50% of passenger miles are on electric trains with 60% of train miles on electric routes

 2.     Some of the additional benefits of electric train over diesel trains include:

·         Faster journeys as electric trains accelerate more quickly
·         Electric trains can be over 20% quieter than diesel equivalents
·         Up to 20% more seats than diesel equivalents
·         £20,000 per year per carriage cheaper to lease
·         Lighter trains reducing track maintenance costs (4 tonnes per carriage lighter)

3.      Were the funding secured for further electrification, the RUS recommends that the busiest 3,000 miles of non-electrified routes should be electrified, adding to the 8,000 miles already electrified, as to achieve the greatest benefit. These routes include:

o Priority schemes
    § Great Western main line (already funded) – already funded, will allow long-distance services from London to  
       Bristol, Swansea and Oxford. Cheltenham / Gloucester trains assumed to run as hybrid
    §  Midland main line (from Bedford) – All long distance services between London, Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham
    §  Manchester Victoria to Liverpool via Chat Moss (already funded)
    §  London - Woodgrange Park to Gospel Oak, Harringay Park Junction to Harringay Junction and Junction Road 
        Junction to Carlton Road Junction

 o Scotland (already funded)
    §  Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen Street via Falkirk High and Grahamston
    §  Carmuirs Junctions to Dunblane and Alloa
    §  Cowlairs South Junction/Gartsherrie South Junction to Greenhill Junction via Cumbernauld

 4.      The Network RUS: Electrification document  was drawn up by Network Rail on behalf of the rail industry, and received significant contributions from industry stakeholders including the Department for Transport (DfT), Transport Scotland, Welsh Assembly Government, Transport for London (TfL), The Passenger Transport Executive Group, Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), freight operating companies, the Rail Industry Association, rolling stock owning companies, Passenger Focus and the Rail Freight Group. The strategy will be finalised and submitted to the Office of Rail Regulation to become an established strategy.

5.      Passenger benefits
·         Reduced journey times through quicker acceleration and shorter stopping distances, particularly for suburban services with frequent stops
·         Station ambience: electric trains create less noise, and don’t emit exhaust fumes
·         Reliability: electric trains generally twice as reliable (in miles per breakdown terms) than diesel equivalents
·         Reduction in rail replacement services (buses) – more electrified diversionary routes will reduce the need to revert to buses
·         New journey opportunities: if electrification is combined with new timetables it could potentially provide new through journey opportunities
·         Additional seating capacity: on long distance high speed routes.  With an electric engine needing much less room than a diesel, more seats be provided.  For example, the two end vehicles of class 390 (Pendolino) electric train contain a total of 64 seats compared to none in the end tow vehicle of a HST (the diesel equivalent of an intercity express train)

6.      Operational benefits:
·         Reduces rolling stock operating costs - up to 50%
·         Reduction in infrastructure operating costs (track wear and tear)
7         More reliable rolling stock - 21k miles per breakdown compared to diesels' 11k miles
·         Security of energy supply (oil price fluctuations)

8.      Capacity Benefits:
·         In the case of freight services, the ability to haul greater trailing loads will reduce the number of freight paths needed freeing up capacity
·         The superior performance of electric traction can provide significant journey time saving

9.      Route Utilisation Strategies seek to balance capacity, passenger and freight demand, operational performance and cost, to address the requirements of funding bodies and stakeholders. Network Rail will take account of the recommendations outlined in a RUS when carrying out its activities to improve, maintain and manage the railway. In particular, the strategies will be used to inform the allocation of capacity on the network through application of the normal Network Code processes.

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office -Western route
07730 354394
MediaRelationsWestern@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk