Campaign To Electrify Britain's Railways
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The Campaign to Electrify Britain's Railway (CEBR) is an internet-based campaign group formed in 2018 whose aim is to convince the government to completely electrify the British Railway network. Its slogan is "Down with Dirty
Diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...
." The campaign promotes a rolling programme of electrification, which it considers essential to improve UK railways and help to decarbonise transport. It collaborates with groups such as the
Railway Industry Association The Railway Industry Association (RIA) is the main industry trade group for railway equipment manufacturers in the United Kingdom. Eligibility for membership to RIA is simple in that it is open to all UK-based companies in the railway supply in ...
,
Rail Delivery Group The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), previously the Association of Train Operating Companies, is the British rail industry membership body that brings together passenger and freight rail companies, Network Rail and High Speed 2. History From 24 Oc ...
, Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education, Campaign for Better Transport,
Institute of Electrical Engineers The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) was a British professional organisation of electronics, electrical, manufacturing, and Information Technology professionals, especially electrical engineers. It began in 1871 as the Society of Tel ...
and the
Permanent Way Institution The Permanent Way Institution is a technical Institution which aims to provide technical knowledge, advice and support to all those engaged in rail infrastructure systems worldwide. Permanent Way is used to describe the course of a railway line, ...
. The group has given evidence to the
Transport Select Committee The Transport Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Transport and its asso ...
.
Huw Merriman Huw William Merriman (born 13 July 1973) is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bexhill and Battle in East Sussex since the 2015 general election. A member of the Conservative Party, he has served as Minister o ...
the committee chair at the time, put it writing he agreed with their view. Merriman was appointed as Minister of State for Rail and HS2 in October 2022. The desire to achieve net zero carbon in transport has increased calls for electrification.


Origins

The CEBR manifesto states: "The UK has suffered from too many boom and bust infrastructure projects. A steady, planned, rolling programme will reduce costs, speed up journey times, create more seats on more reliable trains and ultimately reduce ticket prices." The group staged a protest on top of Snowdon in 2018. In July 2019, the final report of the rail decarbonisation project was published by the group.


Main organisational goals

Many, but not all, diesel trains use only
friction brakes A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Background ...
(as do cars and trucks) to slow or stop the train. This wears the discs and pads, introducing
particulates Particulates – also known as atmospheric aerosol particles, atmospheric particulate matter, particulate matter (PM) or suspended particulate matter (SPM) – are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. The ter ...
into the atmosphere. Electric trains predominantly use the motors in regeneration mode to slow the train, producing almost zero particulates. The technology does not yet exist to stop the train completely. Using this technology would improve the health of the nation but in particular for people who live closer to the railway. In addition,
regenerative braking Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism, the electric traction mo ...
saves energy and is more efficient and thus helps the
low-carbon economy A low-carbon economy (LCE) or decarbonised economy is an economy based on energy sources that produce low levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GHG emissions due to human activity are the dominant cause of observed climate change since the mi ...
. Diesel trains also generate soot and particulates from the engines, often clearly visible in the air. Electrification vastly reduces or even eliminates this problem, thus bringing cleaner and healthier air.


Geopolitics

Electric power can be sourced from a diversified grid and thus reduce the effects of oil and
geopolitics Geopolitics (from Greek γῆ ''gê'' "earth, land" and πολιτική ''politikḗ'' "politics") is the study of the effects of Earth's geography (human and physical) on politics and international relations. While geopolitics usually refers to ...
. Petroleum and petroleum-based products were used as a weapon after the
Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...
, quadrupling the price of oil after an
OPEC The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC, ) is a cartel of countries. Founded on 14 September 1960 in Baghdad by the first five members (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela), it has, since 1965, been headquart ...
embargo. In 2000, the
fuel protests in the United Kingdom The fuel protests in the United Kingdom were a series of campaigns held in response to the rising petrol and diesel fuel prices for road vehicle use. There have been three notable campaigns amongst many other protests in the 21st century. The ...
virtually crippled UK transport and left transport agencies only a day away from bringing the diesel railway to a standstill. The rate of electrification in Britain is often compared to overseas and many acknowledge it is a geopolitical and resource issue as petroleum is a finite resource. In addition, the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
highlighted issues with regards to countries being dependent on hydrocarbons from other countries with embargo risks.


Railway electrification in Great Britain

Railway electrification in Great Britain started in the late 19th century. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and the nationalisation of the railways in 1948 and the 1955 Modernisation Plan, electrification commenced in earnest. After a pause, the West Coast Main Line north of Weaver Junction to just south of
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
was electrified between 1970 to 1974. Small amounts of the rail system then followed, with more electrification occurring in the 1980s, including the
East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a electrified railway between London and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Great Britain running broa ...
. From the mid-1990s to late 2000s, electrification of the network stalled. In 2009,
Lord Adonis Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis, (born Andreas Adonis; 22 February 1963) is a British Labour Party politician and journalist who served in HM Government for five years in the Blair ministry and the Brown ministry. He served as Secretary of State ...
was appointed
Secretary of State for Transport The Secretary of State for Transport, also referred to as the transport secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the policies of the Department for Transport. The incumbent i ...
. After a gap of more than a decade, electrification was back on the agenda and Adonis announced plans to electrify the Great Western Main Line from London as far as Swansea, as well as infill electrification schemes in the North West of England. In July 2012 the UK coalition government announced new electrification schemes, all at 25 kV AC, and reconfirmed schemes previously announced by Adonis. Devolved rail transport in
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
has allowed the Scottish government to pursue electrification with multiple schemes in the
Central Belt The Central Belt of Scotland is the area of highest population density within Scotland. Depending on the definition used, it has a population of between 2.4 and 4.2 million (the country's total was around 5.4 million in 2019), including Great ...
. This has been followed up by a further commitment to a low carbon economy and a modal shift to enable it. The 2009 government document was refreshed in January 2015. However, electrification has not been without controversy, with cost overruns and late-running schemes, particularly on the Great Western Main Line. This led to cancellations of projects and various appearances of the Secretary of State for Transport called before the Transport Select Committee. Shortly after this, Campaign to Electrify Britain's Railway was launched to try and mitigate the boom and bust cycle.


Future railway electrification in Great Britain

The
UK government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...
aims to decarbonize all rail transport by 2040, a measure that has broad parliamentary support. In September 2019, Transport for Scotland announced the goal of having Scottish transport net carbon neutral by the year 2035. This would be achieved by a rolling programme of electrification; where that is not feasible, using battery and other emerging technology such as
hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...
. In an attempt to mitigate and improve the cost situation and thus persuade the government to backtrack on its electrification cancellations, the Railway Industry Association published a report in March 2019 detailing why costs had risen and suggested ways forward. Campaign to Electrify Britain's Railway heavily circulated and advertised this report. The answer to a written question in parliament regarding route miles electrified in the years 1997-2019 made rather stark reading. It has been mainly agreed that electrification costs in the UK are too high though. Railways in
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
are a devolved matter but all parties including the
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...
are vigorously campaigning for electrification.
Roger Ford Roger Ford may refer to: * Roger Ford (journalist) * Roger Ford (production designer) * Roger Ford (cricketer) See also * Rodger Ford Rodger Ford is the managing partner at Anthem Equity Group. He has also managed two medical device companies. ...
, the technical editor of
Modern Railways ''Modern Railways'' is a British monthly magazine covering the rail transport industry which was published by Ian Allan until March 2012, and Key Publishing since then. It has been published since 1962. The magazine was originally based in She ...
, often writes about similar themes and coined the phrase “Bionic duckweed". This refers to putting off what needs to be done today because something new in the future may be just around the corner to refer to schemes that are not based on
electrification Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histor ...
but alternative technologies such as
biodiesel Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat (tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil with ...
and
Hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...
. Other writers have done likewise. Other authors also cite issues with the huge inefficiency of hydrogen as opposed to electrification and the safety of using hydrogen fuel. In September 2020 the Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy Interim Business case was published. The principal recommendation was further electrification of 13,000 km (single track kilometres) of UK railways. As of November 2022, the TDNS has been quietly abandoned. On 23 March 2021, the Transport Select Committee published a report in the 'Trains Fit for the Future" enquiry, which recommended a rolling programme of electrification that allowed for battery and hydrogen. Greater cost scrutiny was also recommended. The report was also highlighted in the mainstream press, featuring how Members of Parliament were calling for a rolling programme of electrification. In March 2021, in the April issue of
Modern Railways ''Modern Railways'' is a British monthly magazine covering the rail transport industry which was published by Ian Allan until March 2012, and Key Publishing since then. It has been published since 1962. The magazine was originally based in She ...
magazine also reported that work was underway to extend OHL electrification to
Market Harborough Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, in the far southeast of the county, forming part of the border with Northamptonshire. Market Harborough's population was 25,143 in 2020. It is the adm ...
, but that the SPL Powerlines contractor was working in conjunction with
Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
to extend wires beyond this to
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and
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
. It was reported that the scheme was being divided into eight distinct route sections. On 22 April 2021, along with an open letter to
Grant Shapps Grant Shapps (born 14 September 1968) is a British politician who is serving as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy since October 2022. He previously served as Secretary of State for Transport in the Premiership of Bo ...
with fifteen signatures, the
Railway Industry Association The Railway Industry Association (RIA) is the main industry trade group for railway equipment manufacturers in the United Kingdom. Eligibility for membership to RIA is simple in that it is open to all UK-based companies in the railway supply in ...
published their report "Why Rail Electrification". It was produced in conjunction with their RailDecarb21 campaign. These set out the case for a rolling programme of rail electrification. Both main political parties agree. In July 2021, the UK Government released the document "Decarbonising transport – a better greener Britain" and at the same time released the supporting Rail environmental policy document. These were welcomed by the CEBR. These documents stated that rail electrification had a major role to play in the decarbonising agenda. On November 18, 2021, the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) was published. This included full Midland Main Line electrification and upgrades. In addition, full Transpennine North electrification was included. However in December 2021 plans were leaked showing the treasury had declined to provide funding to electrify and decarbonise the railways. Further outcry came after it was revealed in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' that the majority of civil servants who wrote the plan don't even live in the North or Midlands. The Railway Industry Association continues to carry out reviews on decarbonisation in an effort to hold both the government and the industry to account.


Government reluctance

Countries including
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
are electrifying and building new lines at a fast pace. Europe is following this trend but the UK ranks 21st as a percentage electrified. Germany ranks eighth. Worldwide the electrification volume market remains high. Geopolitics and the desire to reduce reliance on oil has once again put rail electrification high on the agenda. There are a number of reasons why progress in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
is much slower. One of the reasons were the horrendous delays and cost overruns on the 21st-century modernisation of the Great Western Main Line project. In addition, there were problems with the
GOBLIN A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on ...
electrification project. Another reason cited is a blame game between the various parties. The boom and bust cycle over the years has also increased costs as expertise is lost. Most parties agree but claim everything is always blocked by the treasury.


See also

*
Carbon neutrality Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society (the transition to the "p ...
*
Committee on Climate Change The Climate Change Committee (CCC), originally named the Committee on Climate Change, is an independent non-departmental public body, formed under the Climate Change Act (2008) to advise the United Kingdom and devolved Governments and Parliament ...
* Decarbonisation measures in proposed UK electricity market reform * Electric battery *
Extinction Rebellion Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk o ...
* Fossil fuel phase-out *
High Speed 2 High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages. The new line will run from its m ...
*
History of rail transport in Great Britain 1995 to date :''This article is part of a series on the History of rail transport in Great Britain''. The period from 1995 covers the history of rail transport in Great Britain following the privatisation of British Rail. During this period, passenger volum ...
*
Hydrogen economy The hydrogen economy is using hydrogen to decarbonize economic sectors which are hard to electrify, essentially, the "hard-to-abate" sectors such as cement, steel, long-haul transport etc. In order to phase out fossil fuels and limit climate ch ...
*
List of proposed railway electrification routes in Great Britain This article lists proposed railway electrification routes in Great Britain. Background Railway electrification in the UK has been a stop-start or boom-bust cycle since electrification began. There was a flurry of activity in the 1980s and e ...
*
Low-carbon economy A low-carbon economy (LCE) or decarbonised economy is an economy based on energy sources that produce low levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GHG emissions due to human activity are the dominant cause of observed climate change since the mi ...
*
North West England electrification schemes North West England electrification schemes are a series of individual railway lines in North West England that have been, and continue to be electrified and upgraded. It is planned that these schemes will result in a modernised, cleaner, lower ...
*
Overhead line An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, trolleybuses or trams. It is known variously as: * Overhead catenary * Overhead contact system (OCS) * Overhead equipmen ...
*
United Kingdom Climate Change Programme The United Kingdom's Climate Change Programme was launched in November 2000 by the British government in response to its commitment agreed at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The 2000 programme was update ...
*
Rail transport in China Rail transport is an important mode of long-distance transportation in China. As of 2021, the country had more than of railways, the second longest network in the world. By the end of 2021, China had more than of high-speed rail (HSR), the l ...
*
Railway electrification in Scotland Railway electrification in Scotland has proceeded in a different fashion than the rest of the UK especially in the 21st Century. There is political commitment to a substantial rolling programme of railway electrification from the Scottish gover ...
*
High-speed rail in China The high-speed rail (HSR) network in the People's Republic of China (PRC) is the world's longest and most extensively used – with a total length of by the end of 2021. The HSR network encompasses newly built rail lines with a design speed o ...


References

* *


Further reading

* * * * * * * * {{Cite book , last=Wolmar , first=Christian , url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1246353492 , title=BRITISH RAIL-A new History , date=2022 , publisher=MICHAEL JOSEPH , isbn=978-0-241-45620-0 , location= .l., oclc=1246353492


External links


Campaign to Electrify Britain's Railway Website

Birmingham CEBR

Rail Future website

Northwest Sparks
Electric rail transport Climate change organisations based in the United Kingdom Emissions reduction Rail infrastructure in the United Kingdom
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
Environmental engineering Electrification Railway upgrades in the United Kingdom