Green light for GW electrification but IEP decision put on hold

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has announced that the Great Western Main Line is to be electrified as far as Oxford and Newbury, but a decision on the Intercity Express Programme is not to be made until the new year.

In this morning’s announcement Mr Hammond also said that Bombardier and Siemens have been shortlisted to build 1,200 vehicles for Thameslink. In total the rail network will benefit from 2,100 new vehicles by May 2019. A preferred bidder for the Thameslink contract will be announced in the spring. It is envisaged that 650 of the new vehicles will be delivered by 2014.

A decision on the IEP has been deferred to allow consideration to be given to the revised bid from Agility Trains, a consortium led by Hitachi, and an alternative option of ordering an all electric fleet of trains, which would be hauled by diesel locomotives along non-electrified sections of route. This is not a new new concept, as Virgin do this on a a daily basis with one of their Holyhead services that is formed of a Pendolino but hauled between Crewe and Holyhead by a class 57.

Class 319s will be cascaded to the Great Western network.

Mr Hammond said : ”  I made the decision that we must carry on investing in the railway, we can’t stand still. If we want growth to continue we have to invest in our transport infrastructure.” He went on to say that wholesale refurbishment of the HST fleet had been ruled out and  that further work will be required by the DfT, Agility Trains and the Welsh Assembly Government regarding a business case for further electrification of the GW network.

First Great Western HST at Oxford. Picture: www.upmain.com