Electrification in England and Wales has not been as quick or cost-effective as expected, resulting in scheme cancellations and a loss of appetite in government. Gareth Dennis investigates why Scotland still has a taste for new wiring projects.
At the end of 2018, and without much ceremony, electric test trains started running to Dunblane and Alloa, passing under 300 kilometres of wiring held up by 2000 newly installed masts. Of the initial Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme scope, all but the electrification of the Shotts line has now been completed, representing the near-culmination of five years of hard work. However, this is by no means the end of electrification in Scotland.
There may have been a few slip-ups along the way, but such is the success of the ScotRail Alliance’s rolling programme of electrification that the question for Transport Scotland (TS) isn’t “if” but “where next”. Stirling to Perth, East Kilbride to Barrhead, the Edinburgh South Suburban line and the Fife Circle are amongst the contenders.
But why has this widespread success not been replicated south of the border?
A version of this article also appeared in Issue 873 (27 February 2019) of RAIL magazine.