RAILFUTURE welcomes electrification of the Great Western from Paddington to the West including Oxford, and the North-South Electric Spine that will include East West Rail between Oxford and Bedford.

Electric trains are more energy-efficient than equivalent diesels, with a 30 per cent lower CO2 footprint.

They accelerate better, cutting journey times and slightly increasing the maximum possible number of trains per hour.

Decades ago Network Rail’s predecessors and the Department for Transport chose 25,000 Volt AC overhead wires as the most energy-efficient electrification. The DC third rail that Adrian Taylor advocates (Letters, June 20) loses too much power and needs more frequent substations. More recently, extensions to third rail networks have been ruled out because they are more hazardous to workers on the track.

Network Rail is therefore rebuilding many bridges over its lines to accommodate overhead wires beneath. The rebuilds also accommodate 9ft 6in ‘high-cube’ freight containers, which greatly increase the proportion of freight sent by rail and keep thousands of HGVs off our roads.

Thus with or without electrification, rebuilding bridges over railways is well worthwhile. When the Southampton-Nuneaton route was thus enlarged in 2011 it gained 25 per cent more freight within months of completion.

Railfuture’s only wish is that forthcoming rebuilds be managed to minimise disruption to local residents. South Moreton could have been done better. We hope Grove will be.

However, Bob Johnston (Letters, June 10) is wrong to decry third rail as capable of little over 70mph. Third rail trains in southern England cruise at 100mph daily.

HUGH JAEGER, Media officer, Railfuture, Thames Valley Branch, Park Close, Oxford

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