PLUS November 2012 www.railnews.co.uk ISSUE 189a East Midlands – at last its turn has come IN this first online edition of RAILNEWSPLUS, we describe how the East Midlands rail network is to be transformed over the next seven years with investment of £1.3 billion 2 November 2012 › Railnews PLUS EAST MIDLANDS AT LAST IT’S TIME HAS COME www.railnews.co.uk email: [email protected] Tel: 01438 310 011 £1.3bn investment ends Cinderella myth THE rail system in the East Midlands is already Crewe) to handle the largest modern freight experiencing significant growth – passenger trains serving the ports of Ipswich, NETWORK RAIL EAST MIDLANDS is a single area covering the Midland Main Line from St Pancras International to travel has been rising at five per cent a year Southampton, Tilbury – and a massive new Chesterfield, along with the local routes radiating from Derby, and freight is increasing at double that rate. one, London Gateway, opening next year in Nottingham and Leicester as far as the East Coast and West Now the region’s railways are about to the Thames Estuary. Coast Main Lines. The route serves a large number of communi- ties in the commuter belt between London and Leicester as well undergo a major overhaul, with a total of £1.3 “It means we have finally broken the myth as towns and cities in the East Midlands. It carries a significant billion investment planned up to 2019. of the Midland Main Line being the Cinderalla volume of long distance and local passenger services and key This will include electrification of the route,” declares Martin Frobisher, managing freight flows. Midland Main Line and a major upgrade of director of Network Rail’s East Midlands I Passenger operators: East Midlands Trains, CrossCountry, the whole route, including its link to the Route. “By 2019, the Midland Main Line will Northern Rail, First Capital Connect Potteries (and the West Coast Main Line at be totally transformed.” I Freight operators: DB Schenker, Freightliner Heavy Haul, Freightliner Intermodal, GBRF, DRS, Fastline Advenza I Control centre: Derby I Route km: 702 Opportunities for all Network Rail East Midands route I Level crossings: 397 I Stations: 69 I Network Rail managed stations: None, as St Pancras industry suppliers International is npw managed by NR’s Kent Route I Signal boxes: 37 and 8 manned crossings Database: RAIL industry suppliers stand to gain Harwich. much over the next seven years as The major MML upgrade is being Network Rail undertakes the £1.3 billion handled by Network Rail’s East investment programme to transform Midlands’ Route, and Managing the East Midlands’ network. Director Martin Frobisher explained The principal, but by no means only, how his team has been influenced by significant project will be the track the successful cost effective improve- upgrades and electrification – altogeth- ments and electrification agreed for the er totalling £800 million – of the Paisley Canal line in Scotland. Midland Main Line north of Bedford. The MML is notable for its physical There it will be linked with the former constraints – especially its curvature, route from Oxford (Great Western), which may make it ultimately suitable Bicester (Chiltern Line) and Bletchley for tilting trains, such as Pendolinos. (West Coast Main Line) which is to be This, and the limited possessions pat- reopened and electrified as part of a terns that the route geography makes north-south ‘Electric Spine.’ necessary, means the MML is less suit- Also, as part of the developing able for one of the new high-tech ‘fac- Strategic Freight Network, all these lines tory trains’ of the type, made in are to have infrastructure improve- Germany, which are likely to be used to ments to make space for the W12 load- electrify the Great Western Main Line. ing gauge so that the largest multi- More conventional, lower-tech con- Above: A significant advantage of an addi- modal containers – 2.9m (9ft 6in) high struction techniques are likely to be tional feeder station, if it can be justified, is that it would provide sufficient reserve and 2.6m (8ft 6in) wide – can be carried. adopted for the MML, based on experi- power for future extensions of electrifica- This will supplement the gauge ence in Scotland with the Paisley Canal tion over several more routes in the East enhancement already being undertak- route. Midlands, including the Matlock branch. en on the cross-country route between This will have the advantage that the This train to Matlock is arriving at the West Midlands and South Yorkshire. project can be undertaken using the Ambergate As well as the new ‘Electric Spine’ domestic supply chain, providing great LEFT: Bedford station will present a major from Southampton (via Reading and opportunities for companies such as challenge as train frequencies increase. Oxford), the MML will also be linked (via members of the Derby and Derbyshire Space for additional rail capacity may the North London and Gospel Oak- Rail Forum in the East Midlands – a become available as a result of Bedford council recently purchasing a former retail Barking lines) with the new £3.5 billion region that is home to one of the great- site adjacent to the line London Gateway port – the first half of est concentrations of railway engineer- which opens a year from now – and ing expertise in the world. Tilbury, and (via the upgraded Ipswich- “We will need lots of support and I Ely-Peterborough-Leicester route) with need to find the right suppliers,” Martin the Haven Ports of Felixstowe and Frobisher says. The £1.3bn programme for the East Midlands Electrification work has begun MARTIN Frobisher summarises Network Rail’s investment plans for the East Midlands up to 2019 as follows: OPPORTUNITIES are arising now for March 2014, cutting the Sheffield- supply chain companies because London journey time by six minutes. Completion of a world-class train control centre (at Derby) Ilkeston on the Erewash Valley route. I preparatory work on the MML electri- This requires the track under many fication and upgrade is already start- bridges to be altered and changes to Completion of a world-class maintenance centre (also Clearance of the MML to W12 gauge for freight trains I I ing – even though the electrification be made to the structures themselves. at Derby) carrying the largest multi-modal containers, including the scheme included in last summer’s So Network Rail has decided to also Leicester/Derby-Stoke-on-Trent link High Level Output Specification is use the possessions required for this Completion of the ‘Electric Spine’ I intended for inclusion in Network work to raise bridge structures to pro- Introduction of around 1,200 new carriages (for I Rail’s Control Period 5, starting in vide sufficient clearance for the over- Higher line speeds – up to a maximum of 125mph Thameslink) on the southern section of the MML, I 2015. head line equipment when electrifi- (200km/h) on the MML including first use of the European Train Control System But, as part of the Control Period 4 cation seriously gets underway. (ETCS) for a high-frequency passenger service programme, Network Rail is already “It’s much smarter to do the whole Gateways ‘to be proud of’ – with completion of track I working with East Midlands Trains to job at one go than have to come back remodelling and station improvements at Nottingham Abolition of all level crossings, including foot crossings, on I increase line speeds on the MML up again and raise a bridge under which and Derby, and high hopes for an entirely new station at all 100mph (160km/h)-plus lines to a maximum of 125mph (200km/h). we have already worked,” explains The first stage will be introduced in Martin Frobisher. 3 November 2012 › Railnews PLUS EAST MIDLANDS AT LAST IT’S TIME HAS COME www.railnews.co.uk email: [email protected] Tel: 01438 310 011 The electrification challenge ELECTRIFICATION of the Midland Main Midland.” the other improvements mentioned in Line was first proposed as a high prior- But the most recent campaign final- the debate. ity by a joint British Rail/Ministry of ly paid off. It was led by Nicky Morgan, “Major engineering work would be Transport report in 1980, but this and Conservative MP for Loughborough, required. Just to make room for the other plans for widespread network who succeeded in launching an overhead wires, more than 50 bridges electrification fell foul of Prime adjournment debate in the House of would have to be rebuilt.” Minister Margaret Thatcher’s econom- Commons last March, supported by 20 Now, only six months later, work has ic advisers. other MPs from the East Midlands and already started – because many of Nevertheless, over the years there South Yorkshire. those same bridges need to be modi- have been several campaigns by local However, the then Transport fied for the line speed improvements authorities and the business communi- Minister, Theresa Villiers, did not seem to be implemented in 2014. ties in South Yorkshire and the East overly optimistic when she closed that The decision in principle to go Midlands to kick start a complete mod- debate. ahead with the electrification project ernisation of the route. “Although the business case for was confirmed in last July’s High Level Indeed, such has been the scarcity of MML electrification does indeed look Output Specification. It has still to be investment along the MML that Simon impressive . there can be no doubt incorporated formally into Network HLOS also confirmed that the East- Carr, of the Sheffield City Region Local that the project would be complex and Rail’s Strategic Business Plan, due for West route between Oxford, Bicester, Enterprise Partnership, claimed earlier challenging, and it would be expen- completion next January, and will then Bletchley and the MML at Bedford is Power demands this year: “More money has been sive to deliver,” she told the MPs.