MPs urge more rail operators to upgrade to battery-electric trains
CAMPAIGN: MPs Emma Hardy, left, and Diana Johnson, right, meeting Rail Minister Lord Hendy in January
By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor
Hull Labour MPs Dame Diana Johnson and Emma Hardy have urged Hull Trains and Northern Trains to follow TransPennine Express by investing in battery-electric trains when they next upgrade their fleets.
The request follows a breakthrough in the long-running campaign for rail electrification for the city when TransPennine announced £1bn of investment in a new fleet of 29 battery-electric trains.
The trains will operate services between key destinations across the North, including Manchester Piccadilly and Hull. The battery-electric Adessia Stream trains, the first of their kind on a UK main line route, will provide emission-free travel on non-electrified sections of the railway and are due to enter service in winter 2034.
In a joint letter to Hull Trains managing director Stuart Jones, and Tricia Williams, his counterpart at Northern Trains, the MPs said the latest battery-electric technology radically reduces the cost of electrification compared to installing continuous overhead cables.
They also said moving away from diesel is “a matter of national security and resilience” as it would make the country less exposed to global fossil fuel price shocks. The MPs also say the technology could cut the operators’ running costs by up to half, “hopefully taking some pressure off ticket prices for passengers”.
They said overhead cables are “notoriously prone to storm damage” and a switch to battery-electric traction would mean a more resilient rail network.
The letter continued: “Above all else, battery-electric bi-modal trains serving the whole North would realise the benefits of faster speeds, typically saving around ten per cent on route journey times. This speed improvement has always been the main point of our long campaign for rail electrification.
“It would increase network capacity, create scope for introducing new timetable services and help to ease the pressure on track access that has been a particular concern for open access rail operators.
“The choices that First Hull Trains and Northern Trains will make in the procurement of your new train fleets for the 2030s and beyond must mark another vital step in the transition towards a cleaner, more efficient public transport network – cutting carbon emissions and improving air quality.”
It added: “We are particularly concerned about the continued operation of diesel-powered trains at Hull Paragon Station. As a largely enclosed space, the constant presence of diesel exhaust emissions affects air quality for passengers, staff and others using the station.
“This air pollution is a significant public health issue. On 14 September, in his evidence to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty reiterated his view that diesel should be eliminated from the rail industry.”
CLEANER AND FASTER: An image of one of the new TransPennine Express trains
Urging the companies to “take this opportunity”, the letter concludes: “First Hull Trains and Northern, two valued rail operators serving East Yorkshire who both achieve high customer satisfaction ratings, should join TransPennine Express in moving to a fully electric fleet as soon as possible.
“The advances in connectivity and public health that this would bring for our constituents, for yourselves in the form of lower financing and running costs and for economic productivity and growth in the North, makes the case for doing so unanswerable.”
A spokesperson for Hull Trains said: “We welcome Dame Diana Johnson’s ambition to see further investment in greener rail services for Hull and are actively exploring opportunities to further decarbonise our operations.
“We are already investing significantly in the future of rail, with a £500m order for 14 new trains from UK based Hitachi and remain open to exploring how private investment can support further improvements to railway infrastructure.
“Hull Trains is proud to be an integral part of the local community, and we want to continue being a positive partner in the region’s future. We look forward to working with Dame Diana’s office and industry partners to explore what more can be achieved for Hull and the wider region.”
However, recently installed Liberal Democrat Peer Lord McCobb said full electrification of the line between Hull and Selby had been promised by successive governments and should be delivered.
He said: “Of course I want cleaner, greener trains for Hull. But for years, governments of every colour have promised our city rail electrification.
“This latest letter from our Labour MPs is nothing more than a fairly cynical attempt to distract us from a promise their own government made, and then promptly broke.
“Hull to Selby electrification was promised by the last Conservative government, re-promised by the current Labour government, and written into the devolution deal our Reform UK mayor is meant to deliver.
“Despite all of that, we have still seen no action. Battery trains in 2034 are fine, but they are not the electrification Hull was promised. That’s why the Liberal Democrats and I will keep leading the charge until this promise is delivered, once and for all.”
Northern Trains was contacted for comment.