The Campaign to Electrify Britain's Railway (CEBR) is an internet-based campaign group formed in 2018, whose aim is to convince the government to completely electrify the British Railway network. Its slogan is "Down with Dirty Diesel." The campaign promotes a rolling programme of electrification, which it considers essential to improve UK railways and help to decarbonise transport. It collaborates with groups such as the Railway Industry Association, [1] Rail Delivery Group, Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education, [2] Campaign for Better Transport, [3] Institute of Electrical Engineers [4] and the Permanent Way Institution. [5] The group has given evidence to the Transport Select Committee. Huw Merriman the committee chair at the time, put in writing he agreed with their view. [6] Merriman was appointed as Minister of State for Rail and HS2 in October 2022. [7] [8] The desire to achieve net zero carbon in transport has increased calls for electrification.
The CEBR manifesto states: "The UK has suffered from too many boom and bust infrastructure projects. A steady, planned, rolling programme will reduce costs, speed up journey times, create more seats on more reliable trains and ultimately reduce ticket prices." The group staged a protest on top of Snowdon in 2018. [9] In July 2019, the final report of the rail decarbonisation project was published by the group. [10]
Many, but not all, diesel trains use only friction brakes (as do cars and trucks) to slow or stop the train. This wears the discs and pads, introducing particulates into the atmosphere. Electric trains predominantly use the motors in regeneration mode to slow the train, producing almost zero particulates. The technology does not yet exist to stop the train completely. [11] Using this technology would improve the health of the nation but in particular for people who live closer to the railway. In addition, regenerative braking saves energy and is more efficient and thus helps the low-carbon economy. Diesel trains also generate soot and particulates from the engines, often clearly visible in the air. Electrification vastly reduces or even eliminates this problem, thus bringing cleaner and healthier air. [12]
Electric power can be sourced from a diversified grid and thus reduce the effects of oil and geopolitics. Petroleum and petroleum-based products were used as a weapon after the Yom Kippur War, quadrupling the price of oil after an OPEC embargo. [13] In 2000, the fuel protests in the United Kingdom virtually crippled UK transport and left transport agencies only a day away from bringing the diesel railway to a standstill. [14] [15] [16] The rate of electrification in Britain is often compared to overseas and many acknowledge it is a geopolitical and resource issue as petroleum is a finite resource. [17] In addition, the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine highlighted issues with regards to countries being dependent on hydrocarbons from other countries with embargo risks.
Railway electrification in Great Britain started in the late 19th century. After World War II and the nationalisation of the railways in 1948 and the 1955 Modernisation Plan, electrification commenced in earnest. [18] After a pause, the West Coast Main Line north of Weaver Junction to just south of Glasgow was electrified between 1970 and 1974. Small amounts of the rail system then followed, with more electrification occurring in the 1980s, including the East Coast Main Line. [19]
From the mid-1990s to late 2000s, electrification of the network stalled. In 2009, Lord Adonis was appointed Secretary of State for Transport. After a gap of more than a decade, electrification was back on the agenda [20] and Adonis announced plans to electrify the Great Western Main Line from London as far as Swansea, as well as infill electrification schemes in the North West of England. [21] In July 2012 the UK coalition government announced new electrification schemes, all at 25 kV AC, and reconfirmed schemes previously announced by Adonis. Devolved rail transport in Scotland has allowed the Scottish government to pursue electrification with multiple schemes in the Central Belt. This has been followed up by a further commitment to a low carbon economy and a modal shift to enable it. [22] The 2009 government document was refreshed in January 2015. [23]
However, electrification has not been without controversy, with cost overruns and late-running schemes, particularly on the Great Western Main Line. This led to cancellations of projects [24] and various appearances of the Secretary of State for Transport called before the Transport Select Committee. [25] Shortly after this, Campaign to Electrify Britain's Railway was launched to try and mitigate the boom and bust cycle.
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The UK government aims to decarbonize all rail transport by 2040, a measure that has broad parliamentary support. [26] [27] In September 2019, Transport Scotland announced the goal of having Scottish transport net carbon neutral by the year 2035. [28] [29] [30] This would be achieved by a rolling programme of electrification; where that is not feasible, using battery and other emerging technology such as hydrogen.
In an attempt to mitigate and improve the cost situation and thus persuade the government to backtrack on its electrification cancellations, the Railway Industry Association published a report in March 2019 detailing why costs had risen and suggested ways forward. [31] Campaign to Electrify Britain's Railway heavily circulated and advertised this report. The answer to a written question in parliament regarding route miles electrified in the years 1997-2019 made rather stark reading. [32] It has been mainly agreed that electrification costs in the UK are too high though. [33]
Railways in Scotland are a devolved matter but all parties including the Green Party are vigorously campaigning for electrification. [34]
Roger Ford, the technical editor of Modern Railways, often writes about similar themes and coined the phrase “Bionic duckweed". This refers to putting off what needs to be done today because something new in the future may be just around the corner [35] to refer to schemes that are not based on electrification but alternative technologies such as biodiesel and Hydrogen. Other writers have done likewise. [36] [37] [38] Other authors also cite issues with the huge inefficiency of hydrogen as opposed to electrification and the safety of using hydrogen fuel. [39]
In September 2020 the Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy Interim Business case was published. The principal recommendation was further electrification of 13,000 km (single track kilometres) of UK railways. [40] As of November 2022, the TDNS has been quietly abandoned. [41]
On 23 March 2021, the Transport Select Committee published a report in the 'Trains Fit for the Future" enquiry, which recommended a rolling programme of electrification that allowed for battery and hydrogen. Greater cost scrutiny was also recommended. [42] The report was also highlighted in the mainstream press, featuring how Members of Parliament were calling for a rolling programme of electrification. [43] In March 2021, in the April issue of Modern Railways magazine also reported that work was underway to extend OHL electrification to Market Harborough, but that the SPL Powerlines contractor was working in conjunction with Network Rail to extend wires beyond this to Sheffield and Nottingham. It was reported that the scheme was being divided into eight distinct route sections. [44] On 22 April 2021, along with an open letter [45] to Grant Shapps with fifteen signatures, the Railway Industry Association published their report "Why Rail Electrification". It was produced in conjunction with their RailDecarb21 campaign. [46] [47] [48] [49] These set out the case for a rolling programme of rail electrification. [50] Both main political parties agree. [51]
In July 2021, the UK Government released the document "Decarbonising transport – a better greener Britain" and at the same time released the supporting Rail environmental policy document. These were welcomed by the CEBR. [52] [53] These documents stated that rail electrification had a major role to play in the decarbonising agenda.
On 18 November 2021 the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) was published. [54] This included full Midland Main Line electrification and upgrades. In addition, full Transpennine North electrification was included. However, in December 2021 plans were leaked showing the treasury had declined to provide funding to electrify and decarbonise the railways. [55] [56] [57] Further outcry came after it was revealed in The Guardian that the majority of civil servants who wrote the plan don't even live in the North or Midlands. [58]
The Railway Industry Association continues to carry out reviews on decarbonisation in an effort to hold both the government and the industry to account. [59] Although not the same as electrification, the organisation and others suggest modal shift away from roads to an electrified railway, will also help the climate. [60]
Countries including India [61] [62] [63] and China [64] [65] [66] are electrifying and building new lines at a fast pace. Europe is following this trend [67] but the UK ranks 21st as a percentage electrified. [68] Germany ranks eighth. [69] Worldwide the electrification volume market remains high. [70] Geopolitics and the desire to reduce reliance on oil has once again put rail electrification high on the agenda. [71]
There are a number of reasons why progress in the United Kingdom is much slower. One of the reasons were the delays and cost overruns on the 21st-century modernisation of the Great Western Main Line project. [72] [73] In addition, there were problems with the GOBLIN electrification project. [74] [75] [76] Another reason cited is apportioning blame between the various parties. [77] The boom and bust cycle over the years has also increased costs as expertise is lost. [78] [79]
The railway system in Great Britain is the oldest railway system in the world. The first locomotive-hauled public railway opened in 1825, which was followed by an era of rapid expansion. Most of the track is managed by Network Rail, which in 2017 had a network of 9,824 miles (15,811 km) of standard-gauge lines, of which 3,339 miles (5,374 km) were electrified. In addition, some cities have separate metro, light rail and tram systems, among them the historic London Underground and the Glasgow Subway. There are also many private railways, some of them narrow-gauge, which are primarily short lines for tourists. The main rail network is connected with that of continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel and High Speed 1, opened in 1994 and 2007 respectively.
Transport in the United Kingdom is facilitated by road, rail, air and water networks. Some aspects of transport are a devolved matter, with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments.
Network Rail Limited is the owner and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Transport with no shareholders, which reinvests its income in the railways.
The Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is 118 mi (190 km) long and runs through the central Scottish Highlands, mainly following the route of the A9, and linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth at one end and Inverness at the other. Today, services between Inverness and Edinburgh, Glasgow and London use the line. At Inverness the line connects with the Far North Line, the Aberdeen-Inverness Line and the Kyle of Lochalsh Line. Since the line is not electrified all trains are diesel-powered.
Railway electrification in Great Britain began in the late 19th century. A range of voltages has been used, employing both overhead lines and conductor rails. The two most common systems are 25 kV AC using overhead lines, and the 750 V DC third rail system used in Southeast England and on Merseyrail. As of October 2023, 6,065 kilometres (3,769 mi) (38%) of the British rail network was electrified.
The period from 1995 covers the history of rail transport in Great Britain following the privatisation of British Rail. During this period, passenger volumes have grown rapidly, safety has improved, and subsidies per journey have fallen. However, there is debate as to whether this is due to privatisation or to better government regulation. During this period, High Speed 1, the West Coast Main Line upgrade and Crossrail were completed and more construction projects are currently under way. The period also saw the demise of privately-owned Railtrack and its replacement with government-owned Network Rail.
In the 2010s Network Rail modernised the Great Western Main Line, the South Wales Main Line, and other associated lines. The modernisation plans were announced at separate times but their implementation overlapped in the 2010s.
The Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme or EGIP was an initiative funded by Transport Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government to increase capacity on the main railway line between Edinburgh and Glasgow, with new, longer electric trains running by 2017 and scheduled for full completion in 2019. It was expected to cost £742 million and delivered by Network Rail.
Network Rail Control Periods are the 5-year timespans into which Network Rail, the owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain, works for financial and other planning purposes. Each Control Period begins on 1 April and ends on 31 March to coincide with the financial year. These periods were inherited from Railtrack, so that the earlier ones are retrospective, and not necessarily of 5 years duration.
The "Electric Spine" was the name for part of a, now largely cancelled, rolling programme of railway electrification projects in England initially estimated to cost £800 million, but later thought to cost close to £3 billion. The aim was to form 25 kV AC overhead-wire electrified links northward from the Port of Southampton to major cities in northern and central England and dry port container terminals in the Midlands. The government wanted efficient electric-hauled freight trains to compete with road haulage.
Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), sometimes referred to unofficially as High Speed 3, is a proposed major rail programme designed to substantially enhance the economic potential of the North of England. The phrase was adopted in 2014 for a project featuring new and significantly upgraded railway lines in the region. The aim is to transform rail services between the major towns and cities, requiring the region's single biggest transport investment since the Industrial Revolution. The original scheme would have seen a new high-speed rail line from Liverpool to Warrington continuing to join the HS2 tunnel which it would share into Manchester Piccadilly station. From there, the line would have continued to Leeds with a stop at Bradford. The line was intended to improve journey times and frequency between major Northern cities as well as creating more capacity for local service on lines that express services would have been moved out from.
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is a major investment being made in the railway between York and Manchester via Leeds and Huddersfield in the north of England. It is the 76 miles (122 km) northern route over the Pennines, most of which is also known as the Huddersfield line. As of 2024, the line is heavily used but is slow and lacks capacity. It has Victorian infrastructure, covers difficult terrain including the 3-mile (4.8 km) Standedge Tunnel, and has poor access roads.
The Midland Main Line (MML), a major railway line in the United Kingdom, has been undergoing various upgrades since 2015. The current programme of upgrades began in 2012, although electrification was proposed a number of times previously. The current programme includes electrification of the railway line between Bedford, Wellingborough, Corby, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield. The routes between Nottingham and Sheffield and the Erewash Valley line were not included at this time, only the line between Derby and Sheffield. The upgrade was part of the HLOS for Control Period 5 published by the UK Government in 2012.
The West Coast Main Line is a key strategic railway line in the United Kingdom. It links the cities of London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle. Virgin Trains took on the franchise to run train services on the routes in 1997 and as part of the agreement wanted an upgrade to the railway line to allow for faster more frequent trains to grow the business. On December 23 1994 the feasibility study was published. The upgrade started in 1998 and was completed in 2009. It came under parliamentary and media scrutiny because of cost and schedule overruns. Further improvements such as the Norton Bridge rail flyover were completed after these dates. The project is sometimes given the acronym WCRM - West Coast Route Modernisation.
ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail, is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise as an operator of last resort since 1 April 2022.
The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands or more simply, the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP), is a United Kingdom government proposal published on 18 November 2021. It aims to deliver "increased capacity, faster journeys or more frequent services on eight out of the top ten busiest rail corridors across the North and Midlands", by developing rail services along with the required infrastructure in these regions of England. It was published by the Department for Transport (DfT) and features forewords by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, but its publication was delayed a number of times, partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It contains the significant proviso that "In line with the Government's existing approach to rail enhancements, commitments will be made only to progress individual schemes up to the next stage of development, subject to a review of their readiness." A Technical Annexe was published in January 2022. A correction slip was issued March 2022.
North West England electrification schemes are a series of individual railway lines in North West England that have been, and continue to be electrified and upgraded. It is planned that these schemes will result in a modernised, cleaner, lower carbon and faster railway with improved capacity.
The Felixstowe to Nuneaton railway upgrade in the United Kingdom is a series of upgrades being made to both a key strategic freight route and one that carries passengers on many parts. It is one of only two routes between the busiest container port and the Midlands, the other being via London. The route and the upgrade is sometimes abbreviated to F2N. The railway route includes the Birmingham–Peterborough line for a large part. The line links the Port of Felixstowe in Felixstowe, Suffolk, with the Midlands and crosses the East Coast Main Line, the Midland Main Line and the West Coast Main Line and thus the north and Scotland. From Nuneaton, a number of intermodal terminals may be reached. Much infrastructure in the UK is of Victorian origin and thus needed an upgrade; F2N, being a key route, is no exception.
Railway electrification in Scotland has proceeded in a different fashion than the rest of the UK especially in the 21st century. There is political commitment to a substantial rolling programme of railway electrification from the Scottish government where transport is devolved. Transport Scotland and others have said "In Scotland, decarbonisation is spelt E-L-E-C-T-R-I-F-Y". All parties in Scotland are vigorously campaigning for electrification. In January 2022, there were 2776 kilometres of track in Scotland, and 711 kilometres were electrified representing 25.3%. To meet these needs, the plan is to electrify on average 130 single track kilometres (STK) per year until 2035, although there has been some slippage in this target.