Wednesday 22 July 2009

Electrification announcement latest, with added infill schemes

Okay.

So it's the Great Western Main Line, first stage Paddington to Oxford & Newbury; then on to Bristol via both Parkway and Bath.

At some indeterminate point in the future extended to Cardiff and possibly even Swansea (no doubt designed to prevent a Plaid Cymru inspired meltdown of Labour Constituencies).

The favoured infill scheme now appears to be Manchester - Preston (Goblin's loss - but blame Tory Boris).

An infill between Manchester and Preston would allow TPE Manchester to Edinburgh/Glasgow services to be switched over to new electric 'low carbon' (sic) traction, resulting in a cascade of DMUs to the non electrified railway.

Similar cascades will happen with GWML electrification - although the Thames trains 165's were built to a more generous loading gauge so reader suggestions for a new home, other than the scrapyard, welcome.


Where this leaves the Delayed Multiple Unit Project to speed-up the procurment of an additional 202 DMU vehicles is of course anyone's guess.

As Northern are still gagging for additional stock and Wales will have to wait some time for the sparks effect, perhaps both may get an internal combustion pre-election sweetner?

UPDATE: This from The Major...

Manchester – yes.

Preston – no.

Try Liverpool...