Electrifying train speeds

The government claims that its £200m electrification programme, combined with other improvements to track and signalling on the lines, will improve journeys between several of the key towns and cities in north-west England, including Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Blackpool.

According to a government statement, the programme will increase the proportion of all-electric train journeys in the UK from 60 per cent to 67 per cent and could allow two-thirds of all national passengers to travel on electrified routes by 2017. 

Transport secretary Andrew Adonis said: ‘Electrification creates the opportunity to carry more passengers thanks to longer trains on these busy routes and to allow some 30-year-old “Pacer” diesel trains to be retired. It also allows existing diesels to be re-deployed to provide longer trains on busy routes elsewhere.

‘The government continues to assess the case for other electrification projects, notably the Midland Main Line from London to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.’

Alongside electrification targets, and to coincide with today’s launch of the £5.8bn high-speed line that operates from St Pancras International to Kent, the government said it will outline its plans for the future of high-speed rail in Britain next spring.