Reader views (19)

 Add your view

I too think that upgrading the diversionary routes before the main work starts is essential.

- Stephen Lawrence, Cambridge, England

The last modernisation of the GWR was in the 1970's when the HST fleet was introduced.

With a need to replace the HST trains and replace and upgrade the track and signalling it makes sense to electrify the line at the same time under what used to be known as "big bang" and knowing that electrification creates the sparks effect.

This scheme ties in with Crossrail as BOTH need the electrification from airport junction to Maidenhead and so these schemes share the cost. (NB This fact is likely to be beyond George Osbourne who counts the cost for each scheme and the adds them together!!!!)

As for delays one advantage the GWR has over the WCML is it has several routes so it should be possible to divert trains via these routes and only use buses to connect passengers between lines.

As for the GWR coming before the MML well one had to be first and the fact the MML uses new trains no doubt played a part in this decision.

The fact it has been announced now and given the uncertainty Cameron has put on Crossrail is no doubt a challenge to the Tories who spin about high speed rail (long after the next parliamentary termm!!) to say whether they would proceed in the here and now real world.

- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex

I'll believe it when it is completed. No doubt it will cost us ten times that amount and most likely we will have another 10,000 immigrants working on it.

- Roger, swindon

It makes no sense to electrify London-Bristol-Swansea if the Newport-Gloucester-Swindon route is not put under the wires as well. If the Severn Tunnel is closed for any reason, then the heavy diesels will have to be produced to drag the electric trains to Swindon. Similarly the Vale of Glamorgan line will need wires to cover for the Cardiff Bridgend section being out of action. Here is a chance to enhance the guage to Fishguard, and get all those lorries driving from Fishguard to Dover and vice versa off the motorways.

Why doesn't the Welsh Assembly Government bite the bullet and take the wires onto Milford Haven and Fishguard?

- John Hughes, Dinas Cross, Wales

"you do the maths for the power demand."

Yes, it's been done, and it's less than burning the diesel in engines, owing to transmission of high-tension AC being more efficient, not to mention that you can use regenerative braking to recover quite significant amounts of energy back into the system, as Virgin discovered when it was enabled on their Pendolinos recently. Can't do that with a diesel unless you lug around big, expensive maintenance hungry batteries eating up room people could have seats in otherwise.

"You wait for the howl of environmentalists"

You'll be waiting a while, the Greens in particular have trams in their manifesto, which implies overhead lines are perfectly acceptable if it results in greener transport. Try widening the M4, you'll get howls, if that's what you want.

- Tom, London, UK

i hope the people of wales ansd especially the kinnocks will be digging deep towards the costs.

- Mark Armstrong, london. uk

There is a major problem with increasing rail electrification and that is our lack of spare generating capacity. Years of prevarication over the building of new power stations means that we will not be able to maintain the current demand, let alone increase it.
Modern diesel trains (almost all of the 1970's HST sets have been re-engined) are cleaner than they ever have been, and more efficient.
This scheme will be monumentally expensive and it is unlikely that it will be completed without significant cost overrun and expensive delays/disruption.
Another major obstacle will be that of gauging. This is the amount of clearance around the running lines that dictates to maximum size of vehicle that can use the system. This is likely to present problems when running overhead lines under bridges that were built to the UK loading guage (pre 1948 this would have differed according to which rail company operated the line), which is smaller than that in use in Europe. This will require the replacment of bridges and/or the lowering of the track under them.
It is not simply a case of planting pylons at the trackside and running wires between them.

- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster

It seems that we are behind every one in this country this goverment should be charged with Treason, we are the recipient of every joke around the world

- Richard Edmunds, Rayleigh Essex

Still squandering money we don't have ...

- Freddy, London

You wait for the howl of environmentalists as the unsightly and highly visible gantrys go up to support the overhead wires, dont forget the new pylon developments required to transport the overhead HV to the lineside distributors transformers. This development will look a real mess for highly dubious gain, see below.

These new trains are likly to draw 6 Megawatts, that's Megawatts, for each traction unit. In leymans terms that 6 off-shore wind turbines per train so if 6 trains run simultainiously on the same line thats an equivelent of 36 wind turbines powing six trains on one line, either up or down - you do the maths for the power demand.

- June, London

!Is this another example of Labour's bias towards Wales" !
You're not making sense, John. Since whhen have Reading, Swindon, Bath, Bristol and Gloucester been in Wales ? Swansea is at the end of the GWR live so will benefit many years after these towns have.

- Keith Price, Luton, England

They're bringing our railways up to date and about time too. We're currently way behind the other European nations in doing away with out-dated diesel trains and moving to electricity. Apparently, we're even behind Macedonia! Thats thanks to years of non-investment under the Tories and their car-loving/public transport-hating policies.

- Paxton Pat, London

If successive Governments had invested as much of OUR money into British Rail when it belonged to US, as it has invested OUR money into the rail industry since privatisation, we would all be travelling on a modern,cheaper rail system.

- Colin, Bristol

I understood that the financial case for electrification of the Midland line was actually better than that for the Great Western line. But it's the latter that serves South Wales. Is this another example of Labour's bias towards Wales and Scotland at the expense of the cities of the English regions (in this particular case, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham, and Sheffield)?

- John, York, England

What about first redoubling the 12 miles between Swindon and Kemble, which is part of the backup London-Swansea line, via Gloucester? It's farcical to spend this kind of money on the main route through the Severn Tunnel while traffic on the backup route (used when the Severn Tunnel is closed for repairs and flooding -- which is often) has to be rationed to 4 trains per hour through the single-track Swindon-Kemble Bottleneck.

Electrification of the London-Swansea rail line makes a good soundbite, but will the government start looking at the bigger picture.

- Phil Jones, London UK

Better late than never! This country's rail system is a joke compared to most European neworks where electrification has been the norm for years.

This project, although welcome, continues the piecemeal and much overdue modernisation of our rail network. Why not complete the entire GWR system, ie to Plymouth and then Cornwall? The Midland mainline remains in the doldrums, and the Trans-Penine route connecting our major Northern cities is a disgrace.

High-speed lines in addition to the Channel Tunnel link do not even appear to be on the radar. Third-world would be a flattering desription of this country.

- John C, Leatherhead, UK

This is a total U turn by this government who has been in favour of continued deisel traction until the latest hike in fuel prices a couple of years ago. We are way behind in the world electrification league (40%) compared withe Netherlands (73%). A lot of this will be financed by the cancellation of the new deisel high speed train which will not be needed on this route. Other HST deisels which are already 40 years old will need to soldier on.

- Paul B, London

Yes, and I'm bloody glad to, much better use of money than much government expenditure, in that it 100% definitely improves the country. Years late, though.

- Tom, London, UK

The TAXPAYER not the government is paying for this -get it right!

- Steve, london

Add your comment