This article lists proposed railway electrification routes in Great Britain.
Railway electrification in the UK has been a stop-start or boom-bust cycle since electrification began. There was a flurry of activity in the 1980s and early 1990s but this came to a halt in the run up to privatisation and then continued in the 2000s, and also the Great Recession intervened. In 2009 Lord Adonis was appointed Secretary of State for Transport and, after a gap of more than a decade, electrification of the UK rail network was back on the agenda with Adonis announcing 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. The 2010 general election produced a coalition government that wanted to reassess spending, and so electrification was paused again.
In July 2012 the UK government announced £4.2 billion of new electrification schemes, all at 25 kV AC and reconfirmed schemes previously announced by Adonis. These were to be Northern Hub, Great Western Main Line, South Wales Main Line, Midland Main Line, Electric Spine, Crossrail, Gospel Oak to Barking Line and West Midlands suburban lines including the Cross-City Line. The Trans-Pennine route from Manchester to York and Selby via Leeds was also announced. Rail transport in Scotland is a devolved matter for the Scottish Government, but they too have pursued electrification with multiple schemes in the Central Belt. All these have been 25 kV AC, as in England and Wales.
On 25 June 2015 the government announced that some of the electrification projects would be delayed or cut back because of rising costs. Electrification work was to be "paused" on the Trans-Pennine route between York and Manchester and on the Midland main line between Bedford and Sheffield. Electrification of the Great Western main line would go ahead but the status of the Reading-Newbury and Didcot-Oxford sections was unclear. However, in September 2015, the electrification work was "un-paused", but with a delayed completion date. Since then there have been updates including one published in October 2016.
On 20 July 2017 Chris Grayling the Secretary of State for Transport cancelled a number of electrification projects citing disruptive works and use of bi-mode technology as an alternative.
Electrification has had much controversy with cancellations and various appearances of the Secretary of State for Transport called before the Transport Select Committee. The Transport Select Committee published its report into various matters including regional investment disparity on the railways and calling again for the reinstatement of various cancelled electrification schemes. A written question was submitted and answered in parliament regarding route miles electrified in the years 1997-2019.
In March 2019 the Railway Industry Association published a paper on Electrification cost challenge suggesting ways forward and a rolling programme of electrification.
In September 2020 the TDNS (Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy) Interim Business case was published though it was dated 31 July 2020. The principal recommendation was further electrification of 13000 STKs - single track kilometres of UK railways. As of November 2020, there are very few confirmed schemes. As of October 2022, the TDNS has been quietly abandoned. [1]
As part of the Northern Hub project, the following lines in North West England and Yorkshire were to have been electrified: In December 2013 it was announced that the branch from Bolton to Wigan North Western would be electrified by 2017. [2] However, the enhancements delivery plan update of September 2016 moved the completion date with only GRIP Stage 3 (Option selection) being completed by then. [3] On 1 September 2021, the Department for Transport formally announced this would now go ahead. [4] [5]
Electrification of the North Wales Main Line from Crewe to Holyhead via Chester was announced by the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in 2023. The project would be allocated £1 billion of funds following from the partial cancellation of High Speed 2. [24]
Under Transport Secretary Chris Grayling many of the proposed electrification projects were cancelled, despite pledging to remove full diesel trains by 2040. [25] However after being sacked in 2019, [26] and replaced by Grant Shapps many of the cancelled electrification schemes are being reconsidered. The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands (IRP) confirmed this.
The electrification of this part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade is underway and due for completion in 2025. [27]
It was announced in December 2013 that Bolton to Wigan North Western would be electrified by 2017. [2] Finally, on 1 September 2021, the go ahead was formally announced. [28] Starting in December 2021, Wigan to Bolton work is in progress with "boots on the ground". [29]
Work to extend the wires from Colton Junction to Church Fenton began in December 2020. Preliminary work includes track and signalling to enable line speed improvements prior to the installation of overhead gantries and wires in 2022 ready for an October 2022 completion. [30] The extension will allow bi-mode trains to use electric traction through this section. [31] The overhead lines on this section is scheduled to be operational from early 2024 along with a speed limit increase from 90 mph to 125 mph. [32] As of April 2023, there has been no announcement on electrification between Leeds and Church Fenton.
The section between Huddersfield to Dewsbury had the TWAO applied for on 31 March 2021. [33]
Now the electrification scheme could be back on the agenda after transport secretary Grant Shapps confirmed plans to spend nearly £600m on work to upgrade and electrify the TransPennine main line. [34]
As part of the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands the line between Leeds and Bradford Interchange via New Pudsey is being electrified. [35]
On 28 July 2020, Scottish Transport Secretary Michael Matheson announced plans to phase out fossil fuel use on the railway network by 2035. [36] The plan would see most lines electrified, but suggests that intermittent electrification in difficult places may be implemented. Alternative traction will be implemented rather than electrification for some lightly-used lines. These are the Far North Line, Kyle of Lochalsh Line, West Highland Line, and the southern portion of the Stranraer Line. [37] Other Scottish political parties including the Green Party support a rolling programme and indeed want it to be accelerated. [38] Transport Scotland has also published a list prioritising the projects and divided them into the categories of 1) in delivery, 2) in development, 3) under active consideration. [39]
In early 2021 a start was made on the electrification scheme to Barrhead and East Kilbride. [40]
In June 2022 work commenced on the partial electrification of the Fife Circle Line. [41] This will involve extending the existing Edinburgh area electrification to Dalmeny, and an isolated area of electrification between Kirkcaldy, Lochgelly and Ladybank. This will allow the Fife Circle services to be operated by battery electric multiple units whilst minimising capital expenditure on infrastructure, in particular avoiding the major expense of electrifying the Forth Bridge. Complete electrification would be possible at some future date. The partial electrification is due to be completed in December 2025. [42]
In September 2020 the TDNS (Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy) Interim Business case was published though it was dated July 31, 2020. The principal recommendation was further electrification of 13000 STKs - single track kilometres of UK railways. [43]
As part of the Northern Hub project, the following lines in North West England and Yorkshire have been electrified:
Extensions to the existing West Midlands suburban electrification:
This electrification scheme and associated works has come to mean Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk High and was due to be completed by December 2016. The rolling programme would then follow with the route via Shotts. The scheme via Carstairs in association with the ECML electrification was completed in the early 1990s. With other infills in the central belt of Scotland there are now (2020) 4 different electrified routes between the two cities with assorted diversionary routes. [58] The December 2016 date was not met and in May 2017 a further delay to the wires going live was announced due to a safety-critical component possibly for the whole route needing to be replaced. [59] It was actually completed in December 2017. [60] The infills included the route from Cumbernauld and Falkirk Grahamston to Larbert, Alloa, Dunblane and Stirling.
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest mixed-traffic railway routes in Europe, carrying a mixture of intercity rail, regional rail, commuter rail and rail freight traffic. The core route of the WCML runs from London to Glasgow for 399 miles (642 km) and was opened from 1837 to 1869. With additional lines deviating to Northampton, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh, this totals a route mileage of 700 miles (1,127 km). The Glasgow–Edinburgh via Carstairs line connects the WCML to Edinburgh. However, the main London–Edinburgh route is the East Coast Main Line. Several sections of the WCML form part of the suburban railway systems in London, Coventry, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow, with many more smaller commuter stations, as well as providing links to more rural towns.
The Midland Main Line (MML) is a major railway line from London to Sheffield in Yorkshire via the East Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield.
Merseyrail is a commuter rail network which serves Merseyside and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. Merseyrail serves 69 stations, 67 of which it manages, across two lines – the Northern Line and the Wirral Line. The network uses 750 V DC third rail electrified lines having 75.0 miles (120.7 km) of routes, of which 6.5 miles (10.5 km) are underground. Since January 2023, Merseyrail commenced replacing its train fleet, withdrawing the Class 507 and 508 trains and introducing 53 new Class 777 trains. The network carried 25.5 million passengers in the 2022/2023 statistical period.
Leicester railway station is a mainline railway station in the city of Leicester in Leicestershire, England. The station is managed by East Midlands Railway and owned by Network Rail. The station is served by CrossCountry and East Midlands Railway services. It is the busiest station in Leicestershire, the second busiest station in the East Midlands, and the fifth busiest station in the Midlands as a whole.
The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a 393-mile long (632 km) electrified railway between its southern terminus at London King's Cross station and Edinburgh Waverley via Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Great Britain running broadly parallel to the A1 road. The main line acts as a 'spine' for several diverging branches, serving destinations such as Cambridge, Leeds, Hull, Sunderland and Lincoln, all with direct services to London. In addition, a few ECML services extend beyond Edinburgh to serve Glasgow Central, although the principal London-Glasgow route is the West Coast Main Line (WCML).
England has a dense, multimodal transportation infrastructure. The Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the transport network in England. The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible to Parliament for the Department for Transport.
Corby railway station, owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway, is in Corby, Northamptonshire, England. The current station, opened on 23 February 2009, replaces an earlier one dating from 1879, first closed on 18 April 1966 but reopened between 1987 and 1990.
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.
High Speed 2 (HS2) is a high-speed railway which is under construction in England. It will run between Handsacre, in southern Staffordshire, and London, with a spur to Birmingham. HS2 is to be Britain's second purpose-built high-speed railway after High Speed 1, which connects London to the Channel Tunnel. The majority of the project is planned to be completed between 2029 and 2033.
The Northern Hub was a rail upgrade programme between 2009 and 2020 in Northern England to improve and increase train services and reduce journey times between its major cities and towns, by electrifying lines and removing a major rail bottleneck in Manchester. It was predicted to stimulate economic growth in the region. The project had several elements but the prime objective was to eradicate the bottleneck in Manchester and allow trains to travel through the city at speed without stopping. The project was announced as the Manchester Hub in 2009. The project's steering partnership involved Network Rail, Deutsche Bahn, First TransPennine Express, Northern Rail, East Midlands Trains, CrossCountry, Freightliner, the Department for Transport, Transport for Greater Manchester and Merseytravel.
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 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, Rail Delivery Group, Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education, Campaign for Better Transport, Institute of Electrical Engineers and the Permanent Way Institution. The group has given evidence to the Transport Select Committee. Huw Merriman the committee chair at the time, put it writing he agreed with their view. Merriman was appointed as Minister of State for Rail and HS2 in October 2022. The desire to achieve net zero carbon in transport has increased calls for electrification.
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is a major investment being made in the railway between York and Manchester via Leeds and Huddersfield – the 76 miles (122 km) northern route over the Pennines, most of which is also known as the Huddersfield line. As of 2023, 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 upgrade is an ongoing upgrade to the Midland Main Line (MML), a major railway line in the United Kingdom. There have been a number of proposals to electrify the line over many years but the 2012 proposal and announcement by the UK government was that it would include 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 - High Level Output Specification for Control Period 5 published by the UK Government in 2012. This was also part of a rolling programme of railway electrification projects. To enable all the benefits of using electric traction, the line south of Bedford into London St Pancras is also being progressively upgraded including boosting the power supply. Parts of the line have been classed as congested infrastructure hence another reason for the upgrade.
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. 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.
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. As of January 2022, there are 2776 kilometres of track in Scotland, and 711 kilometres are 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.
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