Electrification - Page 2

News

£1 billion London Gateway investment announced but more needed for Rail

Global logistics giant DP World has unveiled a significant £1 billion investment to expand London Gateway, solidifying its position as the UK's largest container port.

Freight 14 Oct

Feature

Welcome progress in the Valleys

More passenger services and new rolling stock operating on newly electrified routes is offering plenty of positives for rail travel in South Wales - but not everything is rosy, with controversy over a proposed new station in Cardiff. ANDREW MOURANT reports.

Electrification 8 Oct

South Western Railway 159009 and 158885 arrive at Overton on April 18 with the 0640 Exeter St Davids-Basingstoke. The operator is exploring options for sections of third-rail electrification along the route. PAUL BIGGS.

News

Discontinuous third-rail idea for West of England line

‘Islands’ of third-rail electric power are being assessed for the West of England line between Basingstoke and Exeter.

Electrification 30 Sept

Discontinuous electrification on the Far North Line, as part of net zero plans, could involve hydrogen trains replacing the current diesel units. A ScotRail service from Inverness to Thurso crosses the Culgower Burn bridge near Helmsdale on July 3 2021. ALAMY.

News

Hydrogen mooted as a route to net zero in Scotland’s Far North

The Far North and West Highland lines could be decarbonised through discontinuous electrification, RIA Scotland chair Campbell Braid tells SNP conference.

Hydrogen 26 Sept

News

New TransPennine consultation underway

A public consultation is underway over the next phase of the TransPennine Route Upgrade.

rail 17 Sept

Feature

NRA Innovation of the Year 2024: Rail Electrification Alliance

The winner of the Innovation of the Year award in the 2024 National Rail Awards was Rail Electrification Alliance (Static Frequency Converters).

Electrification 16 Sept

Ravensthorpe, where then-Rail Minister Huw Merriman took part in a ceremony last December, the same month the full £3.9 billion scheme was formally announced. In future, Ravensthorpe will be home to a flying junction. TransPennine Express 802212 rolls towards the station in February 2021. MIKE BROOK.

Feature

TRU electrifies the Pennines route and fits ETCS

Due for completion in 2035, the TRU will cut journey times, improve reliability and increase capacity. Chris Howe reports.

Major projects 16 Aug

Scottish Borders UK, New Borders Railway. A train from Edinburgh exits Bowshank tunnel near Galashiels. ALAMY 2015

Feature

Time for electrification: why UK rail needs a new approach

Successive governments have spurned opportunities to make the UK’s railways cleaner and more efficient by investing in a rolling programme electrification.

Electrification 14 Aug

News

North Wales electrification hopes sidelined

The £1 billion electrification of the North Wales Main Line, one of the flagship policies of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s HS2 Phase 2b cancellation ‘bonus’, is all but dead.

Wales 12 Jun

Freightliner 66558 at Eastleigh on October 16 2014. RICHARD CLINNICK.

News

Rail Freight Group sets out ambitions ahead of general election

Rail Freight Group (RFG) has unveiled its 'Delivered by Rail Freight' manifesto, a new cross-industry campaign emphasising rail's critical role in transporting essential goods throughout Great Britain.

Rail Freight Group 11 Jun

News

Battery trains 'could save the UK rail network £3.5 billion'

Siemens Mobility has announced plans to assemble its new battery bi-mode trains at its facility in Goole, which it hopes will help replace some of the network’s fleets over the next decade.

Siemens 6 Jun

The Railway Industry Association suggests that battery electric trains form rail’s future without diesel. Such trains should recharge along their journeys from either overhead wires or fast chargers, such as those Great Western Railway is testing at West Ealing with a Class 230 running shuttles back and forward to Greenford, as seen here on March 8

News

RIA argues for battery electrics to replace diesel trains

Government should order battery electric trains to replace the 1,100 oldest diesel units in service.

Electrification 9 May

The immediate future of rail services to Penzance remains firmly with diesel traction. But the Railway Industry Association is putting forward a plan that could see them replaced by battery electrics using partial electrification as a cheaper alternative for full wiring. On April 14, HST power cars 43047 and 43055 sit in the Cornish terminus before taking a rail tour back to Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Comment

Can batteries spark a charge towards decarbonisation?

The Railway Industry Association is arguing for battery electric trains to replace diesel units, thereby cutting future electrification costs

Phil Haigh 22 Apr

News

Electric train completes first test run

Electric Northern Class 33's maiden voyage between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge.

Electrification 19 Mar

Feature

Freight's future is in ISO containers

The ISO container system works well (and has done so for many decades) and is great for global transport. The goods can be loaded, sealed, and are secure and safe until the seal is broken by the end customer.

Freight 5 Mar

Feature

Why are UK rail projects so expensive?

Every major rail project of recent years - HS2, Crossrail, East West Rail, Great Western Electrification Programme and others - has blown its budget and timetable, reducing trust in the industry’s ability to deliver its promises.

Electrification 5 Mar

News

Stakeholder complexity hinders North Wales Main Line electrification

Concerns of project drift, following North Wales Transport Commission's report that Chester station should be re-modelled ahead of route electrification.

Electrification 14 Feb

Bristol Temple Meads station NETWORK RAIL

News

Bristol Parkway to Temple Meads electrification moves a step closer

Proposal to extend electrification from Bristol Parkway to Temple Meads station advances with West of England Combined Authority funding contribution.

Electrification 14 Feb