25.07.17
Triple electrification cancellation – a misstep from Grayling?
Following last week’s comprehensive set of announcements about HS2 and the closure of Parliament for recess, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there wouldn’t be any more news about major rail projects on the horizon anytime soon.
But having sparked anger after cancelling key sections of three major electrification programmes, Chris Grayling has now raised even more eyebrows by formally putting some weight behind the government’s ambition to support Crossrail 2.
This was despite the fact that the transport secretary had previously argued the overly expensive electrification projects were no longer needed elsewhere in the country due to new bi-mode trains, which allegedly already provide enough capacity and comfort without the need for disruptive work.
But according to a large poll of RTM readers, Grayling’s decision to scale back these electrification projects was a definite misstep.
A huge 80% of the 600+ survey respondents said that electrification in England was needed regardless of the new bi-mode trains in order to prepare the network for future needs and boost overall capacity.
Only 13% disagreed with this statement, and 7% said they were on the fence about the DfT’s decision and that there should have been more debate and consultation before final decisions were made.
But overwhelmingly, RTM readers voiced considerable opposition to the plans, which they argued should be scrapped – with going as far as calling Grayling a “massive failure”.
One reader, Henry Law, described bi-mode trains as a “bad idea” and an unnecessarily expensive solution.
“Diesel equipment has to be installed and mass is carried around uselessly under the wires. Electric traction equipment has to be installed and mass is carried around uselessly on routes which are not electrified. We end up with trains that are underpowered where there is no electrification,” he said.
“Traction changes on frequent services were managed perfectly satisfactorily at Rickmansworth between 1924 and 1960 and Bournemouth between 1967 and 1988. That this approach has been abandoned suggests a curious loss of memory within the industry.”
Many also agreed that the decision should not come as a surprise, given the failures of schemes such as the Great Western Main Line (GWML) electrification.
“If anyone is surprised by this, they haven't been paying attention. Since the cost of the GWML electrification has now more than tripled in cost, there is no way that this level of cost can be sustained, so it was inevitable that other electrification projects would be cancelled,” one reader said.
Another, Jerry Alderson, commented: “As lost posters have written, a lot of us have seen this coming. Back in 2009 when the first electrification schemes were announced, I warned colleagues not to push for more straight away because it was necessary to find the true cost of doing them before commissioning others.
“We didn't know the true cost anymore since the last electrification scheme of any size (Crewe-Kidsgrove was only eight miles) was around 1997 for Heathrow Express, and 1992 for the other schemes. Crucially we had lost the skills.
“Unfortunately the government got over-excited about electrification, because it does often make a lot of sense, and announced a whole series of schemes without knowing the true costs. Only now has Network Rail any idea and it is not cheap, not helped by its refusal to seek derogations from the latest EU standards.”
But one reader claimed that although it was disappointing that electrification is being curtailed, the inability of Network Rail to deliver electrification within budget and on time – despite the finite pot of public funds available – meant that the decision was a sensible compromise.
“Moreover, this decision does not preclude future electrification,” they said. “It is a compromise, of course – Class 801s are heavy EMUs compromising speed and acceleration when operating in diesel mode – but can we afford to continue throwing good money after bad into the money pit which is Network Rail?”
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