Freight operators cool on electrification

摘要

Giving evidence to the Commons Transport Committee's 'investing in the railway' inquiry (above), several witnesses highlighted the obstacles to wider electrification of freight routes. According to the freight operators, at present no high-powered electric freight locomotive suitable for the UK is available. RBI notes that Direct Rail Services has 10 Class 88 electric locomotives on order from Vossloh. These 4 MW locomotives will also be equipped with a 700 kW diesel engine for operation into unelec-trified freight terminals. According to Freightliner, a large order would be required to make the cost of designing and testing a new electric locomotive affordable. But such an order would require a "step change' in the electrification of the UK network to either be in place or committed.