Midland Main Line electrification questions to remain unanswered until Spending Review

Questions on future funding for the ongoing Midland Main Line electrification project will have to wait until the government’s spending review for answers, Rail Minister Lord Hendy has said in a letter to industry bodies the Railway Industry Association (RIA) and the Rail Forum.

The responses came after a joint letter (seen by RAIL) was sent to Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones in April.

In the letter, the organisations highlighted the need for clarity over the next phase of the MML electrification project, which recently saw the last phase between Kettering in Northamptonshire and Wigston in Leicestershire completed.

The letter highlights growing concerns over a loss of supplier confidence and the approval process, noting: “We acknowledge that electrification of the line is being undertaken as a series of distinct project phases with each needing approval.

“However, we understand the next tranche of funding has not yet been confirmed and consequently procurement is now delayed, meaning lost continuity and damaging supplier confidence.

“Any delay in proceeding with this, or wider electrification delivery, risks significant redundancies and a loss of capacity and capability in this crucial area of rail engineering expertise.

“The lack of a strategy and supporting resource undermines plans to decarbonise the railway in the longer term.”

In his response, Lord Hendy said that “clarity on the capital programme for rail for the next four years will be made clear in the spending review. This includes the Midland Main Line, which is subject to both business case considerations and the multi-year Spending Review being led by HM Treasury.”

The next route section is expected to be between Wigston South and Syston Junction, just north of Leicester. It was also planned to include a capacity upgrade through Leicester, with the inclusion of 4-tracking between Wigston South and Leicester.

Network Rail is currently completing work just south of Bedford on increasing the maximum speed from 100mph to 125mph, to accommodate East Midlands Railway’s new fleet of Class 810s. That work is expected to be completed and ready for testing in August.

Hendy added in his response that work was continuing on the next phase, despite the lack of funding.

“Design work and route clearance are being progressed and the remainder of the Midland Main Line route from Wigston to Nottingham and Sheffield via Derby is in development,” he wrote.

Alongside concerns over the lack of clarity for funding on the next stage of the MML electrification programme, the letter also asks for a commitment to a rolling programme of electrification, which Lord Hendy had said at a Transport Select Committee meeting in March was the “best way to reduce the cost of rail decarbonisation”.

He reiterated that the Department for Transport was intending on engaging with the industry on its decarbonisation plans later in 2025.

The latest section of the MML between Kettering and Wigston was recently delivered on time and under budget by Network Rail. However, there has been no clarity on when the next phase could begin. NETWORK RAIL.