Much of the debate about electrification has tended to centre on operations on routes primarily focused on passenger services, with most of the political comment relating to that.
This is a welcome situation in terms of political support but the railway system in the UK was initially developed for freight and more particular goods, and until the 1960s that traffic was a major portion of the railway income. However, while the Beeching report and associated studies concentrated on passenger services and the impact on personal travel in local communities, a major impact was inflicted on freight traffic and the associated business and facilities.
As the railway infrastructure retreated, freight feeders were severed and the wagon flow that fed the newly developed large marshalling yards in parallel withered away. Allied to that, the view of the government at the time was that a substantial percentage of the railway business could transfer its traffic to the rapidly expanding road system being developed by taxpayers. The net result was that Doctor Beeching effectively killed off much of the railway goods traffic. However, he also proposed the concept of Freightliner container services, to this day a major component of freight movement on rail.
As the debate on the extension of main line traction system installation develops, we now find ourselves needing to view route electrification in relation to freight operations. The most important message is to keep it low cost, keep it focussed on freight traffic, and tackle it incrementally. Short infills are good, we must avoid the temptation to grow proposals into huge multifunctional projects.
Net zero
In line with current environmental thinking and government leadership, the impact of transport on the environment is a high-profile issue. Net zero has to be examined across all industries and the whole economy in which, tonne-for-tonne, moved rail yields the least greenhouse gas and pollution when compared to other transport modes.
As mentioned, British Railways modernised mineral traffic and introduced containerisation but placed passenger services first and foremost. However, rail in total has a potentially significant role in delivering net zero across all industries and the whole economy by maximising the modal shift of container trunk traffic from road to rail.
To set the debate, there is a societal issue related to UK history, where more than two generations have passed since the British Railways era passenger-centric view came into being. Changing that culture will be challenging work.
Objectives
Peter Dearman, past president of the Permanent Way Institution and senior visiting lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, argues for two objectives on behalf of the industry:
One: immediately prioritise freight infill wiring short sections and routes where those infill works will increase electric haulage of existing freight. Some container trunk routes are today operated by diesel traction along 100% of their journey for want of a few miles of missing wire.
Two: immediately gauge clear the container traffic routes from the East Coast Ports to allow freight industry colleagues to substantially increase the trunk route container traffic between the ports and the distribution hubs. These routes have been clearly identified by the freight operators. Peter argues that the earliest possible completion of these gauge clearance works will provoke a large-scale modal shift to rail. Even with diesel operation, the carbon benefits will be substantial. Later, against the background of much increased traffic, and in later stages of the investments to green the economy, the case for electrification will then be easier to justify.
Ultimately, Peter strongly believes that there must be a rebalancing of the main line rail industry culture which prioritises passenger traffic. This is imperative if the railway is to fully deliver its potential in the greening of the economy as a whole.
Overall, freight electrification should be at minimum cost. The industry needs a new willingness to apply frugality.
In terms of that frugality, 75mph is fast enough and there is no need to build 100mph Overhead Contact systems for freight. Similarly, the traction power works should be sensibly engineered, 25-0-25 feeding being used to minimise the number of supply points and maintain voltage at the pantograph.
New developments
Advantage must be taken of new traction unit development, and the capability of Class 93 tri-mode locomotives can allow short dead sections of discontinuous electrification, which should be leveraged.
Such developments as the Furrer and Frey moveable overhead contact system, demonstrated at Wellingborough recently, illustrate the commitment of electrification designers and constructors to bring forward novel power and contact system hardware suited to the freight business.
There are considerable opportunities to add infill schemes to current main line electrified routes at minimum cost with a surprisingly high impact. Thus, a long-distance haul without change of traction becomes distinctly viable.
Having reviewed the environment in which infill electrification may extend and flourish, it is worth a study of where improvements in the traction connectivity might be applied. Presentations at industry events have often referred to the difference in connectivity between UK nations and several examples exist of freight terminals being connected to the electrified network in Scotland but not in England at the other end of a traffic flow. Thus, a flow may well be diesel-hauled for a distance under the wires.
Some major examples of significant terminals which are not connected to the electrical traction systems include the not insignificant ports of Felixstowe and the more recent development of Thames Gateway in Essex; adjacent to the channel tunnel high-speed one link. The latter has been the subject of a study in the provision of contact system equipment at an economical price.
Another east Coast port not connected is Hull, with the approaching route also not wired! The lack of electrification connectivity is not limited to traditional coastal ports, and a major example is that of Doncaster freight terminal. The Scottish end of the conundrum is not without relevance with connection needed at Motherwell.
The Transpennine Route Upgrade is a major scheme with significant potential gains for freight but, even there, access for freight is not total. At present, access to Trafford Park is not available to electrified traction although it must be noted that the proposals in connection with the football ground may lead to a new terminal development – hopefully connected as new!
Perhaps of a greater scale, but with potential gains in relieving current routes, would be an electrified route into Manchester? A similar major connection would be Leeds, Harrogate, and York to link up two electrified routes.
Mention was made earlier of the Furrer and Frey retractable OLE, recently demonstrated at Wellingborough (though not currently wired), which could allow the economical wiring of ‘Normal’ sidings and allow the handling of containers away from major sites; again, to be connected to electrified routes.
Recent developments in bi- and tri- mode locomotives have been interesting in terms of ‘last mile’ traction off the wires but these may not be a solution for the type of major freight flow traffic that is really needed as part of the move to net zero, albeit there may still be ‘spot development’ of special flows which may be of short duration.
Grasp the opportunity
There has been discussion of freight-focused electrification infills since the IMechE Professional conferences earlier in the century. The opportunity to make real growth in long distance freight haulage is still there for relatively minimal wiring and power feeding of short routes off the existing electrified mainlines. That opportunity is here without huge investment and the industry is ready to move.
While we have concentrated on freight infills, it is impossible to ignore the mainlines still not electrified with their relevance to passenger, freight, and parcels traffic. Full electrification of the Midland Main Line and Great Western Oxford and Bath spring to mind with heavy aggregate flows, and one could dream of bringing the stone out of Derbyshire with electric traction. As a finale can we remember the ‘Electric Spine’, now buried in history, which could have brought electrified freight all the way from the south coast to the east coast mainline.
This article is inspired by conversations with Peter Dearman and other industry colleagues and provides their personal but informed views of how freight flows with electric traction could be brought into use. Here’s hoping the country show the will to proceed.
Image credit: iStockphoto.com