A REVISED programme for ‘cascading’ rolling stock, coupled with185 route miles of ‘in-fill’ electrification, could enable more than 320 diesel-powered services a day to be operated by electric trains instead — and reduce the need for more new diesel trains.

This is the proposal of former senior operations manager Peter Rayner, outlined in a presentation to the summer conference of the pressure group, Rail Future.  His plan would also mean that unpopular ‘Pacer’ trains could be withdrawn.

Mr Rayner, who was operations manager of British Rail’s London Midland Region, told the conference in Llandudno: “Electrification is the greatest need and the failure to recognise this even now is the greatest sin of omission the Department for Transport is guilty of.”

He told conference delegates: “There is no doubt in my mind therefore that last year’s White Paper ‘Delivering a Sustainable Railway’ was a short-term Treasury-led document and we need to highlight its inadequacy and point out its flagrant bias against rail.  Please note when Ms Ruth Kelly [Secretary of State for Transport] gave evidence to the [House of Commons Transport] Select Committee it was revealed, and I quote, ‘The Strategic Objectives of the Department are set by the Treasury’.”

Explaining his latest proposals, Mr Rayner said: “Given the fact the industry is said to have lost the expertise on overhead electrification—both maintenance and erection—we need to create a team of experts with resources to commence with small schemes over the next five years.

“Whilst major schemes would be welcome, a series of minor in-fill electrification schemes together with a detailed rolling stock cascade programme would have significant impact. Indeed with the DfT acknowledging the need for extra vehicles to increase capacity on the network, new electric trains and the cascade of diesel units would prevent the need for the majority of the proposed new diesel multiple units.”

He explained: “This comment on electrification is essentially about in-fill schemes to improve the railway and put back the overhead line engineering expertise.

“Electrification infill has several important advantages; firstly it would rebuild not only overhead line engineering skills but also other railway expertise.  It will, when complete, improve passenger and freight services and provide much-needed diversionary routes at times of disruption. 

“The carbon footprint is less with electrified services and as more people are tempted out of their cars onto trains so the carbon emissions of those journeys are saved.”

Criticising present arrangements, Mr Rayner said that around one-third of long-distance high-speed departures from Kings Cross on the East Coast main line are operated with diesel traction with the majority of their journey on an electrified railway.

“Not one of the current proposals to the Rail Regulator for additional services on the route is based on the use of electric traction,” he observed. “Why not use the serviceable Class 90 locomotives and Mark 3 vehicles that are available? Unless common sense prevails, we face the prospect of having over 40 per cent of the long-distance passenger services on the electrified ECML operated with diesel traction.”

Mr Rayner complained “the same farce” obtained on the West Coast main line.

“I stood on Preston station and saw a TransPennine diesel set off to Glasgow under the electric wires at 10.33 and at 10.40 another diesel, this time a Virgin Voyager, set off under the wires to Glasgow.  When Carstairs-Calder Junction was electrified full electrically hauled services ran from Birmingham and Preston to Edinburgh.  This service has only become diesel-hauled after privatisation.

“At one time the use of diesels under wires was wherever possible carefully avoided.  That was when it was run by BR — an organisation which the present Rail Minister Tom Harris says when he was growing up was a joke.  Well perhaps he has some more growing up to do.”

Mr Rayner told the Rail Future conference the challenge now was for the rail industry to electrify up to 200 route miles of railway in less than three years and bring widespread benefits to non-electrified lines as well: “My proposals are not exhaustive and the suggested rolling stock cascades are arbitrary but come from the experience of several senior operators of railways,” he explained.

No changes to ECML infrastructure are required to allow electric trains to displace some of the HSTs that currently complete their entire journey under the wires, said Mr Rayner.

“The displaced HSTs could transfer to cross-country routes and replace Class 220/1 units as the start of a rolling stock cascade. The Voyager units could provide additional capacity on Birmingham-Leicester-Stansted Airport services and/or on the Nottingham to Cardiff route. Class 170 units displaced by the Voyagers could provide additional capacity in the Manchester or Leeds areas to reduce the number of new-build DMUs.

“Again for the WCML, with no additional electrification, it is possible to build new electric trains to operate Birmingham to Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh services and displace class 221 units. A simple cascade would allow those units to operate between Liverpool and Norwich with the displaced Class 158 units available to increase capacity on East Midlands, Northern and FGW services.”

Mr Rayner suggested TOCs could be given a financial incentive if they ran electrified services, replacing diesels, over routes where electric current is provided,

“Turning to which in-fill schemes have the most need and which should be tackled now is a difficult task,” he went on.

“The ECML is the busiest Inter-City route in the country, generating 11 per cent more business than the WCML. There are over 30,000 passenger journeys each weekday between Peterborough and London and yet the contingency plan when anything goes wrong south of Peterborough appears to be cancellations and/or buses.

“For the ECML, therefore, the priority is to electrify and upgrade the railway between Peterborough and Ely, a distance of 35 miles, to provide electrified diversionary routes between Peterborough and London via Ely, Cambridge, and Bishops Stortford/Hitchin,” Mr Rayner proposed.

Turning to the West Coast route, he said: “Blackpool has suffered unduly because of the enforced changing of trains by passengers at Preston. If the line from Blackpool North to Preston is electrified, London could be served by Pendolinos. 

“A range of electric trains could be operated via any other routes also electrified. The route from Manchester northwards to Euxton Junction via Salford, Clifton Junction, Bolton and Chorley, continuing on the WCML to Preston, is the shortest one. It carries long distance diesel trains to Glasgow and a range of other diesel-multiple-unit passenger services that continue for many miles north of Preston under the wires.

“Similarly Liverpool to Earlstown electrification would connect Liverpool directly with the WCML northwards.”

Turning to routes across the Pennines, Mr Rayner said: “There is a strong case for electrifying and upgrading the 43 route miles between Leeds and Manchester via Huddersfield and Stalybridge to allow operation of electric trains between Newcastle, York and Manchester Airport. The western end of this route used to have a ‘cut off’ from Stalybridge to Stockport.  Now passengers from the south of Stockport must travel via Manchester.  Consideration should be given to using this route for main line passenger trains once more.

“With electric trains operating the majority of trains between Leeds and Manchester, it would again be possible to cascade rolling stock, with the Class 185 units providing additional capacity between Doncaster and Manchester via Sheffield, and operating Carlisle-Newcastle-Middlesbrough services.

“The Class 156 units displaced from the Carlisle-Newcastle route could replace Pacer units on other Northern services which could be withdrawn.  The Pacer units are not crashworthy and I believe it irresponsible that the Department for Transport allows TOCs to use cheaper non-crashworthy units and leave crashworthy more modern (but more expensive) units in mothballs.                                         
“The ‘Leeds Horseshoe’ scheme also needs to be urgently progressed with electrification and upgrading 20 route miles to provide a diversionary route between Leeds and Doncaster, via Hambleton.

“Combined with the electrification and upgrading of a further 12 route miles to York, electric trains could operate between Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh. A diversionary route would also be available for electric trains between York and Doncaster via Leeds.” 

The electrification of another 22 route miles — Leeds–Sheffield via Wakefield — would allow electric trains to operate between Leeds and Sheffield via Wakefield Westgate, he said. “Including a further eight miles would also allow electric trains to operate between Doncaster and Sheffield or indeed from Leeds to Sheffield via Doncaster.

“The Class 156 and 158 units that currently operate services between Leeds and Sheffield could be redeployed within the Northern franchise, whilst the Pacer units that currently operate the majority of local services between Doncaster and Sheffield could be withdrawn.”

Mr Rayner commented: “Without access to rolling stock diagrams it is not possible to assess the number of new-build trains that would be necessary to deliver the increase in electric trains possible with the suggested electrification of just 185 route miles.

“However, from the existing timetable, it would appear that 323 trains each day could be operated by electric rather than diesel trains

“These infill schemes give massive flexibility and diversionary routes, paving the way for the more-obvious large schemes of which the Great Western main line reveals itself to be the most pressing requirement.

“Overhead line equipment (OLE) is already installed around Paddington for Heathrow Express and when Crossrail comes I am sure it will end up at Reading. Therefore the first large project should be Paddington to Bristol/Cardiff with the option of extending from Bristol to Exeter and Cardiff to Swansea. 

“A case also exists for the Midland Mainline to Leicester and Nottingham at least.”

Finally, Mr Rayner said there were 3rd-rail electrification schemes also “long overdue.”
 
The line from Ashford to Ore required doubling and electrifying, he said, adding: “The line from Uckfield to Lewes requires re-opening and electrification, from Hurst Green to Uckfield, at least, in the first instance.  The extension would give a much-needed diversionary route to Brighton, Eastbourne, Hasting and Newhaven.

“Basingstoke to Salisbury and Salisbury to Southampton are self evident extensions of the 3rd-rail.”