
Amid continued budget constraints and to deliver further cost savings Network Rail is looking to change the way work is delivered on its £1.3bn Midland Main Line electrification programme.
Network Rail’s December board meeting minutes which were published on Friday last week highlight that the MML programme aims to “change the way electrification was delivered in order to achieve cost savings when compared with the CP5 Period (2014-2019) single track kilometre rate.
The next phase of the MML electrification programme which includes north of Leicester, beyond Corby, to Nottingham and to Sheffield, was given the green light in the procurement process and the search for a new contractor has already begun.
A paper was presented to board members which showed anticipated final cost ranges and which also had a clause in the contract which stipulated “that profit could only be achieved if the design was within budget” to stop the project being “overengineered”. The board was also advised that funding for enhancement projects under the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) would be constrained in CP7 (2024-2029).
The MML programme will enable electric operation of new bi-mode trains from South Wigston to Sheffield – which includes a 139km stretch of the line and 67 structures.
In 2021 the route between London and Corby was upgraded and electrified and the next phase of major electrification works between Market Harborough and Wigston is now underway.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Our procurement process is designed to make sure that we get the most efficient costs for electrification and learn the lessons from the past, taking on board feedback from our suppliers.”
Network Rail’s electrification programme has come under scrutiny recently and after it was revealed that only 2.2km of electrified track was added to the network in 2021/2022. This constituted less than 1% of its annual target which is needed to achieve a fully net zero railway by 2050.
The transport body has set a target of electrifying 448km of track a year but hasn’t come close to reaching that target once in 10 years.
At the current rate of electrification, Network Rail won’t be able to totally electrify the network until way into the 2090s, over 40 years too late.
Railway Industry Association (RIA) technical director and author of the RIA Electrification Cost Challenge report David Clarke said: “On the current trajectory of investment, the UK will not meet its legal obligations on net zero. A rolling programme of cost-effective electrification for intensively-used lines – such as the MML electrification – is a crucial part of the solution for rail to support green growth.
“Starting a steady programme of investment now will reduce more carbon sooner, and be much more cost-effective than investing later. Also, an intensively used electric railway has lower operating costs and better performance than the diesel alternative.
“It’s welcome news that procurement for the next phase of MML electrification is under way and that Network Rail is collaborating with suppliers to look at the most effective ways of delivering schemes like this.”
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