electrification focus
Our electrification engineer reports...
The Electrification Challenge
This time last year the prospect of based on a life of 40 years. The dilemma Network Rail are seeking
electrifying any new routes was looking of replacing the HST fleet also continues, innovative design solutions
very bleak indeed. The Department for with the Inter City Express Project (IEP) The business case for new electrification
Transport was firmly entrenched in the becoming very costly, with a complex may now be becoming strong enough to
belief that the costs were too prohibitive design specification having to satisfy the consider the inclusion of secondary main
and that new fuel cell technology, being requirements for European interoperability. lines and some branch lines as well as
just around the corner, was the answer to Notwithstanding these issues, it was major trunk routes. The railway routes in the
the railway's prayers. However, any hopes recognised that electric trains are cheaper UK broadly fall into three categories which
the DfT may have had vested in hydrogen to operate and maintain and that diesel may be classified as follows: -
fuel technology have so far proven to be traction, as the only realistic alternative, is • Main Line Routes with speeds up to
somewhat fruitless. likely to become more expensive. 200kph
Worries regarding electrification prices • Secondary Mainline or Principal Urban
were justified, as the cost of electrification Kelly acknowledges the case Routes with speeds up to 160kph
on many projects escalated beyond even for further electrification • More lightly used routes with speeds up
the wildest estimates. In order to get a The efforts of the industry were then to 100kph.
handle on the principal cost drivers for given a huge boost in June, with Transport Rather than using a conventional type of
electrification, the DfT and ORR last year Secretary Ruth Kelly announcing a major Overhead Line Equipment such as the
commissioned Atkins to undertake a cost change in Government policy to the effect existing Mk3 or UK1 designs for all three
modelling exercise. This suggested an all- that further railway electrification is now route categories, Network Rail will be
in unit rate for new electrification would being considered a likely option for the seeking cheaper and more innovative
fall between £600k and £700k per single UK's transport needs. Against the ever designs and it is likely that a much simpler
track kilometre. Although inclusive of rising price of oil, the need for carbon design will be used for routes which have
associated civil engineering, signalling reductions and increased use of sustainable slower speeds and shorter trains with less
immunisation and distribution costs, the energy, Kelly acknowledged that the demand for power.
price tag was considered to be far too business and environmental cases were The use of the Auto Transformer (AT)
high to justify any further electrification. now favouring more railway electrification. system will be favoured for main line higher
Electric trains use power generated at speed routes, where significant efficiencies
The Electrification Challenge source and will therefore contribute in distribution costs can be achieved.
The challenge for the industry therefore increasingly to a greener environment as Network Rail are believed to have already
was to find a way of reducing the costs UK energy generation moves further approached some of the major UK and
and to convince the Government that towards more sustainable and reduced international electrification suppliers for
further electrification is not just desirable, carbon forms of generation. ideas and proposals on how such a massive
but necessary for the future strength of programme could be delivered.
the UK economy. Network Rail, in 5000km of new electrification could be
conjunction with the Railway Industry added to the network? Routes to be wired
Association, set about this task by It seems circumstances may now have Factors influencing which routes to
launching an initiative known as the eventually conspired to favour further electrify may not be just sheer passenger
Electrification Challenge. electrification, and it is against this numbers or volume of traffic. Diversionary
This sets down the gauntlet to the background that Network Rail must urgently routes, the potential for electric freight
industry to develop ways of making future respond to the challenge. It is understood haulage, feeder routes into existing
electrification more efficient and cheaper. that a proposal is being developed for electrified lines and missing electrified links
Blue sky thinking was encouraged such electrifying a substantial proportion of the will all need consideration. In determining
that historical conventions, in terms of network on a measured rolling basis, the how to prioritise such a programme, the life
specification, design and installation scale of which is awesome. expectancy of the existing rolling stock and
methods could be challenged. The industry Up to 500km of electrified route could be the ability to cascade existing diesel trains
has set about this challenge with added to the network each year with the to other routes, tied in to the train operator
enthusiasm, with a number of responses goal of achieving 5000km of new electrified franchise periods will be prime
and ideas being received. A common route, installed and commissioned over a considerations.
theme emerged that the best results could ten year period. Of the 31,700km of track Having trains which have now seen over
be achieved with a consistent rolling which currently makes up the UK rail 30 years in service, the Great Western and
programme of electrification such that the network only 13,300 km or so is electrified Midland Mainlines are likely to be the first
initial high investment in new designs, at present, even though 60% of the trains routes tackled. Other routes such as
plant, training etc. would pay off over a that operate each day are electrically Transpennine, only recently having received
long term programme with commensurate powered. a brand new fleet of high powered diesel
unit cost reductions. Adding a further 5000 km will result in trains, would be delivered much later in the
58% of the network being electrified and programme. Equally, some branches off the
Diesel traction is likely to bring the UK closer to the goal of many West Coast Mainline such as Crewe to
become more expensive European countries of having total Chester, which next year is to receive an
Clive Kessell, in his article in our May electrification of their entire networks. It hourly London service using Voyager diesel
issue, reported on the conference for should be said that most of the proposed units, could be an early candidate.
sustainable power, which acknowledged new electrification will be on the overhead
that some routes now had business cases line principal and any future schemes using The programme start
that were just about positive, although a 3rd rail current collection will be very Even though the Government are now
major problem existed in retiring diesel limited and confined to the extension of making the right political noises, it will take
trains prematurely when leasing fees are existing routes. several years before such a major
28 | the rail engineer | october 2008
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