Brown hails £1.1bn railway electrification scheme

12:23pm Thursday 23rd July 2009

By George Gaynor

GORDON Brown has welcomed a scheme to electify the rail lines between Oxford, Didcot and London within eight years.

Work on the project to electrify the Great Western main line from London to Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea, along with the commuter routes to Oxford and Newbury, will begin immediately, the Prime Minister said today.

News of the go-ahead for the £1.1bn project was revealed last night by Transport Secretary Lord Adonis.

When the work is finished it will cut typical express journey times between Oxford and London Paddington to 50 minutes, thanks to electric trains' faster acceleration. Electric trains are also quieter, more reliable and create less pollution.

Officially announcing the scheme during a visit to Cardiff, Mr Brown said building better railways was an essential part of building a cleaner, greener more prosperous Britain.

He said: “Almost two centuries ago Britain’s greatest engineer began the enormous task of connecting London with the west of England and Wales.

“Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s feat – and those of the men who laboured under him - remains an enduring symbol of the Industrial Revolution.

“Now Britain is engaged in a green revolution, which will again transform our economy and society as we embrace a digital, low carbon, high technology age.

“As part of this Andrew Adonis and I have announced today that the entire line between London and Swansea will be electrified by 2017. Work will start immediately.

“Passengers will notice the difference in faster journey times – London to Swansea will be 19 minutes quicker - quieter trains, more seats and improved reliability.

“Electric engines are cheaper to buy and run – and they are lighter than their diesel counterparts and so do less damage to the track.

“That should reduce the need for engineering work at the weekends and on Bank Holidays, which I know infuriates travellers.

“And in some cases, capacity will be increased because the diesel engine can be replaced with an extra coach.

“For commuters, the benefits of quicker, more comfortable and more reliable trips are obvious.

“But there will also be enormous advantages to local economies, business and industry through more jobs, increased tourism and additional freight traffic.