The decision by the Department for Transport to ‘pause’ further electrification of the Midland Main Line through Leicester and on to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield has been followed by protests from the rail industry.

The DfT had said work was also paused on the final stage of stabilising the cliffs along the railway at Dawlish, the York Area Capacity and performance project and a congestion relief scheme for Peckham Rye station in south London, although other schemes are going ahead, including the restoration of three stations and passenger services on the Bristol to Portishead line.

The suspension of work on the Midland Main Line has attracted criticism from the Rail Forum and the Rail Industry Association, who have written to rail minister Lord Hendy today, offering to convene a cross-industry group.

They claim that keeping electrification under review could cost taxpayers between £50 million and £70 million, and also risk economic benefits of nearly £400 million and the creation of nearly 5,000 jobs.

Chief executive of the Derby-based Rail Forum Elaine Clark said: ‘We are extremely disappointed … [the] decision will have a direct impact on supply chain businesses now. We risk losing further highly skilled individuals and jobs from the sector, which will ultimately add to costs for future electrification projects.

‘Whilst recent announcements and confirmation of other projects have been welcomed by our members, stopping Midland Mainline Electrification has caused wide concern and makes no sense. It is a shovel ready project that could deliver tangible benefits this parliament with other projects unlikely to even get off the starting blocks in that timeframe.

‘Taking into account likely demobilisation and remobilisation costs we believe it’s a bad decision for the UK taxpayer and a bad decision for users of the MML with several of our larger cities now condemned to using diesel traction for the foreseeable future. Furthermore it doesn’t demonstrate the whole system thinking that is core to Government’s agenda of “bringing track and train together” through rail reform.’

The Railway Industry Association’s chief executive Darren Caplan agreed that railway suppliers will be concerned.

He continued: ‘This decision will delay the benefits of the project and undermine regional economic growth in the Midlands, as well as cost taxpayers money and threaten thousands of jobs.

‘The decision threatens to continue a boom-and-bust approach to rail electrification in the UK, and is clearly a worry for the many businesses which have delivered the previous phases of the scheme on time and on budget. And it demonstrates a lack of whole-system thinking, inhibiting operational performance and revenue growth as well as providing further uncertainty for the rolling stock supply chain.

‘So we urge Lord Hendy to consider to ensure this is only a short “pause” so work can commence promptly within the next year. And we restate our offer to convene a cross-industry group to develop a decarbonisation strategy and resourcing plan. This would confirm the minimum additional electrification to deliver Net Zero for passengers and freight by 2050.’

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