Benefits of electrified railways are numerous and they will be vital in achieving net zero, but the electrification rate is worryingly low and an overhaul of the approach is required. An electrified railway is a better railway. It is cheaper to run, has greater capacity, is more reliable, less noisy and requires less maintenance. Then you have the environmental benefits on top of that: it produces no emissions and is becoming more decarbonised the closer the UK electricity grid gets to net zero.
These factors make electrification of the UK’s railways an imperative for the country’s legally binding target of reaching net zero by 2050. Most developed countries have acknowledged these benefits and have been quick to electrify their railways.
“Switzerland is 100% electrified, most of the rest of Europe is 60% electrified and filling in the final 30 or 40% that isn’t electrified,” says Railway Industry Association (RIA) senior technical advisor David Clarke. “We are at 38% electrified across the network in the UK.”