Extract from Queen's Speech debate (Lords) - Oct 17
Friday, 18 October 2019 07:23
The Duke of Somerset (CB):...And what about trains? Electrification
has been pathetically slow. In the West Country, route
electrification has only reached as far as Newbury, so the new
fleet of Great Western trains has to be hybrid, switching
from diesel to overhead pantographs—the inefficiencies of this must
be huge. On the railway line I take to Salisbury, South Western
Railway operates trains which have a diesel engine under every
carriage. The emission of smoke, noise and...Request free trial
The (CB):...And what about
trains? Electrification has been pathetically slow. In the West
Country, route electrification has only reached as far as Newbury,
so the new fleet of Great
Western trains has to be hybrid, switching from diesel
to overhead pantographs—the inefficiencies of this must be huge. On
the railway line I take to Salisbury, South Western Railway
operates trains which have a diesel engine under every carriage.
The emission of smoke, noise and exhaust fumes that
accompany their progress, or worse when they are stationary,
is surely no longer acceptable. The line from Salisbury westward is
a single track, although one can still see the old rails alongside.
A little project, such as dualling this line, illustrates a typical
worthy candidate of any cash released from the possible abandonment
of HS2 and would greatly improve the reliability of journeys. The
Government’s concern for the environment would be well satisfied if
this project were scrapped in favour of smaller projects and
upgrades throughout the country. The huge environmental cost of
driving a new railway through our countryside, SSSIs and people’s
houses and businesses has been underrecognised...
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