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London to Cardiff train times to be cut by electric lines
Aline Nassif22 Jul 2009
The main London to Cardiff railway line is to be electrified to reduce its carbon footprint and improve services.
Government officials are finalising plans to make the first major investment in a generation on the Great Western main line.
The Department for Transport and Network Rail have discussed electrifying the route from London to Cardiff, via Reading and Bristol, as well as the branch to Oxford.
This scheme would see the installation of electric cables as well as changes to tunnels, bridges and stations.
It would also link up to the Crossrail scheme and see the line from Paddington to Reading completely electrified. Currently overhead wires go as far as Heathrow for express services to the airport.
The work would be carried out in phases over 10 years to minimise disruption at a cost of around £350 million — the 25,000-volt overhead cables alone cost £800,000 a mile.
Confirmation of the go-ahead is expected tomorrow from Transport Secretary Lord Adonis, although financing is still being negotiated.
Work could be funded through an increase in borrowing by Network Rail, which owns Britain's rail infrastructure. The Government would pay off the debt over a number of decades.
The scheme would mean faster journeys and more services as electric trains accelerate more quickly and signalling infrastructure could be upgraded at the same time.
The main line to Bristol was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel from 1835 to 1838.
The current fleet of express 125mph trains is up to 32 years old and operator First Great Western has been criticised for the quality of its service.
Reading station, a key junction, is already scheduled for a £425 million upgrade as part of Crossrail.
Stephen Glaister, professor of transport and infrastructure at Imperial College London, warned the benefits of electrifying the routes could be counteracted if the trains were still powered by high carbon sources.
He told the Guardian: “In a world where nuclear power is declining and renewables cannot fill the gap, where else is the electricity going to come from apart from burning more coal and gas?”
Lord Adonis has pledged to convert vast amounts of the rail network to reduce carbon emissions from transport by 14 per cent by 2020.
He said last week: “Transport accounts for a significant amount of our domestic emissions. Therefore decarbonising this sector has to be front and centre of efforts to meet our obligations and commitments to tackle climate change.”
According to Network Rail, electric trains would at least halve carbon dioxide emissions on the line.
Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said electrification would draw people out of cars and planes and onto trains.
Reader views (10)
"Reading station, a key junction, is already scheduled for a £425 million upgrade as part of Crossrail."
Bet you anything Crossrail gets cancelled after the election. Fruit doesn't come as low hanging as that £10b+ for a government in search of a means of balancing the books.
- David C, London, 22/07/2009 15:26
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I rather like the existing system whcih gets people to Bristol etc. as fast as you could want i.e. a lot faster than a car without the threat of motorway jams. The trains at the moment generate their power in situ but electric trains have power wastfully brought to them over a distance as electricity reduces over distance. Another factor is that the new system will require expensive maintenance and safety checks that the existing track does not in not having the overhead wire installation.
- Jack Spratt, Richmond, Surrey, 22/07/2009 14:17
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Yes, Ed, there are some excellent deals around, but generally for when you don't want to travel, otherwise it's time to sell a kidney at least. Add into that the cost that most travellers have to incur in getting into London in the first place and I'll stick to the car 99% of the time.
FYG a weekend cheapest return booked 4 weeks in advance is £244 for 4 people just now!
- Paul, London, 22/07/2009 13:52
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A few of the previous comments are missing the point, this will not only benefit Wales, it will also benefit Oxford, Reading, Swindon, Bristol, and Bath.
Glad something is being done about our railways but we need more than just this.
- D.W., London, 22/07/2009 13:39
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I think most people would prefer something to be done about the slow, overcrowded and unreliable commuter routes used into London every day than have a few minutes knocked off the journey to Wales! Can we please have rail improvements that benefit the majority rather than a few headline grabbers.
- Man U Fan, London, 22/07/2009 13:01
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White Elephant? Yes, the M4 (taking 3 hours) is a white elephant as it only takes 2 hours now by train from London to Cardiff. With electric trains the journey will be reduced by 20 minutes. In regard to the price of tickets, you can get some excellent bargains on the train which compare very well to the lack of bargains for car insurance, tyres, service, and fuel cost.
- Ed, London, 22/07/2009 11:55
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Yet again the English subsidise the Welsh. There is nothing valuable in the Welsh economy (pretty much any one with a job there is a public servant), so why waste good money on making it faster to get there. People want to leave Wales, not get there.
- Prototypical Englishman, Wormwood Scrubs, 22/07/2009 10:42
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Unless they can keep costs down this will be another white elephant. I travel to South Wales regularly and London to Cardiff can be easily done in 3 hours by car at a fraction of the price of the train, especially if there are four travelling. Otherwise the gov't will have to install speed humps on the M4 to deter drivers ..... as if!
- Paul, London, 22/07/2009 10:42
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Before they spend hundreds of millions on this upgrade of the main London-Cardiff route, they need to spend a few tens of millions on the backup route through Gloucester and the Stroud Valley. The section from Swindon to Kemble is still single-track! When the Severn Tunnel is closed for repair or flooding (which is often), the backup route has to be used. The Welsh Assembly and also Lord Adonis have listed re-doubling of the Swindon-Kemble 12 miles as a rail priority, but still nothing gets done!
Electrifying London-Cardiff makes a good soundbite, but how about some decent reliable train service for the people of Gloucester and Cheltenham, and a proper backup rail route to London for the people of S Wales?!
- Phil Jones, London UK, 22/07/2009 10:40
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Where is the electricity going to come from?
A good start would be to build the Severn barrage. It's the second best location for tidal power generation in the world. It could produce 15% of the nation's electricity. Of course, the greens and the nimbies are opposed. Another option is more nuclear power. Of course, the greens and the nimbies are opposed.
Alternatively the entire world's electricity requirements could be satisfied by a chunk of desert the size of England, covered in solar generation plant. Getting electricity to the UK from (say) Morocco is perfectly feasible.
The problem is economics ... as long as it stays cheaper to make electricity by burning stuff, we'll be making electricity by burning stuff!
- Nigel, London, 22/07/2009 10:25
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