Skip to main content

EU support for rail improvements in the UK to bring faster travel times

The European Union is to co-finance a project to electrify a 58 km section of British rail infrastructure with US$6.5 million from the TEN-T Programme. The project, which was selected for funding under the 2011 TEN-T Annual Call, is part of the Railway/road axis Ireland/United Kingdom/continental Europe TEN-T Priority Project 26, and will bring considerable benefits to rail traffic in the area. The project consists of the works necessary to install a 25kV AC overhead electrification line on a 58 km single
December 12, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The 1816 European Union is to co-finance a project to electrify a 58 km section of British rail infrastructure with US$6.5 million from the TEN-T Programme.  The project, which was selected for funding under the 2011 TEN-T Annual Call, is part of the Railway/road axis Ireland/United Kingdom/continental Europe TEN-T Priority Project 26, and will bring considerable benefits to rail traffic in the area.

The project consists of the works necessary to install a 25kV AC overhead electrification line on a 58 km single track railway line between Castlefield Junction in Manchester and Newton-le-Willows and Lowton Junctions (roughly halfway to Liverpool).  Works include establishing suitable electrical and gauge clearances along the concerned route, and the installation of 25kV overhead line equipment.

Once finalised, the electrification project will bring considerable benefits for:

• Passengers: Additional trains due to better route management plus an electrified direct route to Manchester Airport

• Rail freight transport: Enhanced capacity between Manchester and TEN-T Priority Project 14 (West Coast Main Line)

• Freight forwarders: Lower costs thanks to reduced costs of leasing, operating and maintaining electric trains

• The environment: reduced emissions as diesel trains are phased out in favour of electric ones

The project will be managed by the 6025 Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency and is set to be completed by December 2014.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • EU project tests new technologies in Madrid to improve traffic and travel information
    July 25, 2017
    Spanish technology group Indra is implementing the European R&D&i project Harmony, with the collaboration of research groups G@TV and TranSYT from the Polytechnic University of Madrid and with the support of Grupo Interbús and Spain's Traffic Department (DGT). The pilot study is being carried out in Madrid to develop new technologies to integrate real-time data from different transport operators and improve multimodal information services. The three-year project, developed with the Polytechnic University of
  • London's new £19bn transit line opens
    May 24, 2022
    Elizabeth Line speeds up east-west travel in the UK capital and its surrounding areas
  • Reducing incident clear up times, saving money
    January 24, 2012
    In 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia, it took over four hours to open the road after a major commercial vehicle incident. Not any more. Four years ago the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) cited Atlanta, Georgia as the third-most congested city in the United States. Each traveller in metro Atlanta lost an incredible 57 hours a year to traffic delays, wasting 40 gallons of fuel while sitting in traffic. In 2007, it took nearly four and a half hours to open travel lanes after an average tractor-trailer incident. Th
  • Tri-nation cooperation on C-ITS Corridor
    June 20, 2016
    In the European C-ITS Corridor project, authorities from three countries are working with the automotive industry on the deployment of Cooperative (V2X) Systems. Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems/Services (C-ITS) has the potential to improve road safety, transport efficiency and environmentally friendly mobility, as well as creating additional services and new business models. A set of international standards have been developed to provide the technical basis for the deployment of Cooperative ITS.