Why electrification? The Network Rail perspective

“Likewise, by predicting our energy usage we can take any surplus energy and put it back into the National Grid”. The overall demands on the UK power network then starts to go down.

With fewer moving parts, electric trains are also more reliable and require less maintenance. Not only that, but electric trains are lighter and cause less wear to the track, helping the railway overall become more reliable.

Modern electric trains also have good fault-finding capabilities. “Newer trains can gather data about the health status of the infrastructure. We are moving into a different world where we can even predict the health status of the infrastructure - from the condition of the track to the overhead wiring itself.” Mohammad draws parallels with the aviation industry, which has engineers on standby ready to fix a fault when an aircraft lands.

But if the benefits of electrification are so clear, then why have we left it so long to install it? Mohammad is clear about the issues that has thrown up, but cannot say why decision-makers did not agree earlier to the sort of schemes that are going ahead now.

“Having left such a gap we have a significant problem,” says Mohammad. “The Government signed up to a sustainability pledge. Electrification is part of that solution.” So is this all purely to ensure the UK’s climate change obligations are met?

“There’s a strong business case, but it’s not at ‘any cost’ project. Ultimately, it is a political and economic decision. Do I know why it hasn’t happened for 25 years? No”.

But most European countries have significantly more electrified railway than Britain. It is the aim, with current planned schemes, to increase the proportion of electrified railways here from 40% to 50%. It’s unrealistic to expect all routes to be electrified, with a role being identified for independently powered EMUs which can run where there is no wiring. Other technologies may come into play to replace DMUs in the future, as well.

“Ultimately it is up to the Government to decide what is right for UK plc” says Mohammad.

Pointing to China’s enthusiasm for electric railways, and its many hundreds of miles of high speed lines, Mohammad is a visionary for the potential of electrification to not only achieve the benefits outlined, but improve the world’s perception of the UK’s railways.

Diesel-powered trains are increasingly seen as unattractive to visitors, particularly those with which Britain might want to do business. “We are very much in that global market now. Our infrastructure has to be equal to or better than the competition. We are in a very different world. It is an image thing”.

Mohammad goes on: “A lot of people have worked very hard to make the UK a great place. And it is a great place. London is a financial capital. And the regeneration we are seeing in our cities - London, Manchester, Birmingham - is transforming them”.

“The transport system has to step up to that mark”.

This is where the relative reliability of electrified railways comes into play. “People are less tolerant now of a train that is 10-15 minutes late”.

Mohammad is frank - Britain is off the pace. In his view: “We should have done it four years ago” he says.

But he does not deny or play down the cost overruns on the Great Western Main Line and Midland Main Line schemes for example - where electrification will come in at double the original price. He regrets those inflated costs, but nevertheless values the long-term approach, and backs it up with a look back at 20th century history.

“There will still be a payback. In the Second World War, the development of a particular aircraft cost £1 million. People said it was a lot. It was the Spitfire. It helped to win the war for us”.

“Now we are lagging behind. We have to look at ourselves from the global perspective. Denmark is looking to electrify the entire country at 25kV. The French are looking at upgrading. The Germans want faster trains”.

Mohammad regrets some of the changes that took place in the 1990s and 2000s – in particular breaking the continuity of a continuous programme of electrification of the network. “Privatisation took us on an interesting journey, but we lost something when we got rid of British Rail.”

“Electrification is an enabler. We have got to start growing, at a grass roots level, our engineering skills,” he says. “For the future, it will put us in a much better place”.

Have we got all the skillsets we need just now? “No. But we are trying to rebuild them. We have lost a lot and we are going through a painful learning curve. The key to recovery is looking to the future. We cannot afford a 20-year lull.” 

• This feature was published in RAIL 775 on May 27 2015