RIA calls for rolling programme of electrification

Today the Railway Industry Association along with 16 other rail bodies has written an open letter to the Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps urging the Government to begin a rolling programme of electrification.

The letter coincides with the release of a report produced by the RIA called "'Why Rail Electrification?". They say "The report urges the Government to begin a programme of rail electrification now, in order to meet Net Zero legal commitments. It complements Network Rail’s Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy by explaining why electrification is both a future-proof technology and a good investment."

The 80-page report sets out the case for a rolling programme of electrification and deals with potential sticking points such as cost, the report also looks at other forms of traction such as battery and hybrid technologies. The report does not dismiss battery or hybrid traction as an option but states that electrification is the "optimal choice for the majority of lines on the network"

Wires above the WCML

The case for electrification seems clear, I and many others would probably go as far as to say it's a no brainer, however it seems that the government has been dragging its heels since the GWML electrification debacle.

The fact that electrification of the GWML was delivered late and 3 times over budget wasn't so much the fault of the rail industry, but a failure of the Government to properly plan for the massive electrification project that it had promised to deliver. Put simply, during the CP5 (Control Period) HLOS (High Level Output Specification) covering the period from 2014 to 2019, the Government promised too much and failed to realise the enormity of the challenge and the fact that the industry lacked the skills to achieve such large amount of electrification in a relatively short space of time.

A graph shared on Twitter produced by rail electrification engineer Garry Keenor demonstrates clearly what went wrong with CP5. The industry went from no new electrification schemes leading up to 2012, then by the end of 2013 there were more than 20 schemes either in progress or in the pipeline.

20+ active schemes from 0 in the space of 5 years is not what the industry means when it says it wants to see a "rolling programme of electrification".

The sudden burst of activity meant that the industry had to rapidly tool up and find enough people with the necessary skills to carry out the work. Skills and equipment that at the time the industry simply did not have. And when new equipment such as Network Rail's High Output Plant System (HOPS) did arrive, it simply did not live up to expectations. 

CP5 HLOS map, showing projects that were completed, delayed or cancelled

 
The CP5 debacle lead to schedule and cost overruns which ultimately lead to the Government abandoning plans for the "electric spine". Since then electrification plans have either been delayed, put on hold or cancelled altogether.

It's not as if anyone didn't see this coming, the industry for years has been calling on the government to continue with electrification, all be it at a more manageable pace than the previous famine and feast.

Even I, a relative outsider have been writing about the lack of skills and the government's failure to properly plan for the electrification of Britain's rail network. Listed below are some of the blogs I've written about skills and electrification over the past 5 years.

CP5 HLOS: "Not all doom and gloom" 

The problem with Crossrail North 

Trans-Pennine electrification and Crossrail North 

Electrification - what went wrong? 

Northern - Powerhouse or Powercut?

Northern Rail Industry Leaders, Building the North's New Railway

 

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Electrification - what went wrong?

I don't normally like to write negative or political headlines, however reading the news about the announcement that electrification schemes are to be scrapped on Thursday (20th July) caused me to reflect on promises made by Government back in 2012

The CP5 HLOS (Control Period 5, High Level Output Specification) published in 2012 was full of promises and seemed a real boon for the rail industry. Electrification of the GWML between London to Cardiff, Oxford and Newbury was finally given the go ahead after being delayed in 2010.

Midland Mainline, North West, Transpennine and other electrification schemes were also announced, all due to begin in or be completed during CP5 which covered the period from 2015 to 2019. A map produced by the Department for Transport which set out ambitious plans can still be found here.

Now it seems that a number of these electrification projects will not go ahead, on Thursday (20th July) the Department for Transport announced that electrification of the GWML between Cardiff and Swansea will no longer go ahead, nor will the electrification of the Midland Main Line. Planned electrification of the section of railway in the Lake District between Oxenholme and Windermere has also been cancelled. 

GWML electrification

Cost overruns and delays to the GWML electrification programme could be one reason why the government has lost its appetite for further electrification. The upgrade of the GWML was first costed at around £600m to £800m, however the budget now stands at £2.8bn. 

Great Western Railway will begin to phase out HSTs later in 2017 as they begin to deploy new bi-mode IEP sets. 

Problems such as Network Rail's approach to planning in which permissions were sought for changes to each individual structure rather than for large sections [1], the much lauded high output electrification train did not initially deliver the intended level of output and difficulty designing and installing OHLE on listed structures all contributed to cost overruns and delays.

In hindsight it seems that government plans to electrify so much of the network in a relatively short period of time were overly ambitious. After years of under investment and not having electrified a main line since the ECML was completed in 1991 the UK rail industry simply did not have the skilled workforce, expertise required nor the right equipment to undertake such a large programme of electrification.

There were problems too with the North West electrification programme, although 2 key sections between Liverpool and Manchester were completed in 2015, phases 3 to 7 were delayed after Network Rail and main Contractor Balfour Beatty agreed that the company would not continue with the project.

What went right?

It's not all doom and gloom, it would be unfair to say that Network Rail has failed or that improvements have not been delivered. Key projects across the network have been completed in the 5 years since the CP5 HLOS was announced.

Electric trains began operating between Liverpool and Manchester in March 2015 providing improved journeys for passengers and more capacity. In 2013 new electric trains were operating between Manchester and Scotland which was one of the most crowded routes outside of London. It is also anticipated that the final phases of the North West electrification programme will be completed in early 2018, with the exception of Oxenholme and Windermere.

The very first public passenger service using electric trains between Liverpool and Manchester

A £750m project to improve Birmingham New St Station was also completed in 2015, with a new 3,300 square metre atrium which is now filled with light thanks to an impressive plastic and steel roof. 

The ETFE roof that now covers the "Grand Central" atrium at Birmingham New St

 

The Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) which aims to upgrade key junctions and infrastructure as well as electrification has been underway since 2013, with electrification between Glasgow and Edinburgh expected to be complete by Autumn 2017.

Crossrail may steal the show in London (in terms of rail infrastructure) but the ThamesLink Programme which hasn't been without its controversy has been steadily transforming a crucial part of London's rail network since 2009. 12 car trains began operating between Bedford and Brighton in 2011 and brand new class 700 trains began arriving in 2016.

New look platforms at London Birdge which had already been completed by 2015

 

The last element to be completed which is also one of the largest and most complex elements of the project has been the transformation of London Bridge, work began back in 2013 and due to be completed by 2018.

There are numerous other projects planned, underway or complete which are listed on Network Rail's website

The future is bi-mode?

Part of "what went wrong" isn't anything to do with budget or planning, but rather Government oversight. In the past 5 years rolling stock technology has advanced significantly. The bi-mode class 800 IEP trains once thought to be a stopgap have turned out better than many expected, even with diesel engines fitted, passengers will enjoy benefits of modern trains, quicker journeys and extra capacity.

Hull Trains, Transpennine Express and Abellio East Anglia have all ordered various bi-mode diesel-electric trains, which will be able to take advantage of the parts of the network that are electrified, whilst also being able to operate on non-electrified lines.

Alternative forms Motive power have also advanced significantly, Alstom has already begun testing a hydrogen fuel cell powered train in Germany and a battery powered train has already been tested on the UK rail network.

The fuel cell powered Coradia iLint built by Alstom has already been tested up to a speed of 80km/h, with hopes to operate the first test passenger services in 2018.

In 2015 Network Rail trialled a battery-powered passenger train between Harwich International and Manningtree, a Class 379 Electrostar was fitted with lithium iron magnesium phosphate batteries which provided enough power to propel the train for about 96km

In the West Midlands battery technology will be retrofitted to 21 of Midland Metro Urbos 3 trams in order to remove the need for the installation of OHLE "in architecturally sensitive areas". The extension of the Midland Metro from New Street station to Centenary Square, which is due to open in 2019 will run through Victoria Square without the installation of overhead line equipment.

Birmingham New St, currently the last stop until the new extension is completed in 2019

 

So, what can we conclude from all this? Despite my initial feeling of pessimism on Thursday morning, after reflecting on the news and reading Nigel Harris' comment about bi-mode technology in Rail issue 831, I feel that whilst it is not a good news story, it is not particularly bad news for the industry or passengers either.

The story will make news headlines for a few days, there will be plenty of analysis for weeks if not months and it will also fuel more anti HS2 feeling. But I think that when all is said and done commuters will go on as normal, not paying much attention to the improvements going on around them, just glad to get a seat, decent wifi, charging point and for the train to be on time.

Isn't it really only people (myself included) who are interested in the railway who care what actually powers the trains? 

My only one concern and it's a big one, is the environment. Diesel fuelled bi-modes will undoubtedly have their place on the network for decades, but I hope and I would urge the government to seek to quickly move to other (greener) forms of power such as battery and or fuel cell technology sooner rather than later. 

I also believe electrification should continue as and when budget and resources allow, but it is unrealistic to think that the remaining 60% UK's network that is not yet electrified can be done so quickly. 

Further analysis of Trans-Pennine electrification and a suggested "Crossrail North" can be found here

I would also encourage readers to take a look at an excellent article on the subject by Joe Dunckley which can be found here 

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