1 comment

Politicians and business leaders in the regions have been voicing their dismay after several railway upgrades were ‘paused’ indefinitely by the Department for Transport.

More than 50 road and rail schemes were confirmed two days ago using money allocated in the Spending Review. The railway schemes include three reopened stations, support for the Midlands Rail Hub and the restoration of services between Bristol and Portishead.

But work has been ‘paused’ on the final stage of stabilising the cliffs along the railway at Dawlish, while Midland Main Line electrification will end for now at Wigston, just south of Leicester, instead of being continued to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.

Also on hold is the the York Area Capacity and performance project. The DfT said this was ‘until the wider strategy for the ECML and Northern Powerhouse Rail aspirations can be developed further’, while a congestion relief scheme for Peckham Rye station in south London is another project which has been delayed indefinitely.

The DfT has justified the pause in electrifying the Midland Main Line by saying ‘Given the existing trains in use on this stretch of railway and the costs and time needed to electrify the route we are focusing our investment on other schemes … we will continue to keep the potential for full electrification of the route under review.’

As far as Dawlish is concerned, the Department said ‘preliminary works to support cliff monitoring and drainage are progressing. We have already invested significantly in securing the cliffs and making the coastline more resilience in the South West and need to focus our investment on other projects around the country’.

The new pause in Midland Main Line electrification has dismayed leaders in Sheffield, which is now the largest city in the country not served by electric trains.

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said: ‘It feels like one step forward and two steps back. After decades of national underinvestment in our transport network, we’re having to wait longer for vital rail improvements that would create jobs, opportunities and economic growth.

‘We were told HS2 would come to Sheffield. That was cancelled. Now electrification of Midland Main Line is being paused. All we’re asking for is a fair deal.’

Further south, the Mayor of Leicester Sir Peter Soulsby said: ‘We are deeply disappointed. Electrification is not just a technical upgrade, it is a critical investment in the capacity, reliability and sustainability of our railway.

‘It reduces carbon emissions, lowers operating costs, and provides the infrastructure that could transform local as well as inter-city rail services.

‘The Midland Main Line is now the only mainline route that remains largely non-electrified. This puts our region at a disadvantage compared to others and undermines the national ambition to deliver a cost-effective, reliable, low-carbon railway.’

Readers’ comments

I support the pause in engineering works for Midland Main Line electrification. Those works would deter the passenger growth expected from the new MML trains. It’s better to concentrate the limited money available on the TransPennine Upgrade where the work can be completed BEFORE new trains are introduced.

John Porter, Leeds

Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here to send an email to Platform at Railnews.