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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 J unction 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. Lower costs:

· Electrification can pay for itself on many routes 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

6. 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 an 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)

7. Operational benefits:
· Reduces rolling stock operating costs - up to 50%
· Reduction in infrastructure operating costs (track wear and tear)
· 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.