Media centre

Friday 22 May 2015

Work to electrify railway between Bedford and Sheffield enters next phase

Region & Route:

| Southern

Work to electrify the Midland Main Line between Bedford and Sheffield has entered its next phase as work on the track is now underway. 

The £1.6bn investment programme will improve connections between major towns and cities from London through the East Midlands to South Yorkshire, paving the way for faster, quieter, greener electric trains.

Piling work for the equipment, which will eventually support the wires that will power electric trains, started this month between Bedford and Kettering.

Most of the work will be carried out overnight so the railway can remain open for passenger and freight services during large parts of the construction work. The piling work inevitably involves some noise, which may cause lineside residents some disturbance. Residents living within 200 metres of the work have been notified via letter.

Steve Hughes, area director for Network Rail, said: “This is a major investment in the region’s railway that will transform travel for thousands of passengers on this route.  

“Work has already been completed on a number of bridges along the route to make room for the electrification wires to pass underneath.  Now, we are starting work on the track to install the equipment.

“This work will take a Victorian railway into the twenty-first century and will allow greener, smoother, and faster trains to run. We thank our neighbours for their patience.”

Piling work will be followed by upgrades to bridges, tunnels and parapets.

Notes to editors

Benefits of electrification:

The electrification programme will  stimulate economic growth across the region by improving connections between towns and cities, with longer trains also able to carry 20 per cent more passengers.

Electric trains are cheaper to operate than diesels and produce around 25 to 30 per cent less carbon. They are lighter and require less maintenance so do less damage to the track.

Electric trains also improve the air quality in pollution in areas such as city centres and main line stations. They are also much quieter.