‘No delay’ as Midland main line to be electrified by 2019

Rail Minister Simon Burns insisted there will be no delay to the long-awaited electrification of the Midland main line, and confirmed the project will be finished by 2019.

The so-called “electric spine” would allow faster, longer and more reliable trains to operate between Sheffield and the south of England, and has been lobbied for by politicians and businesses in South Yorkshire for many years.

It was finally given the green light in July when the Government announced some £9 billion of rail improvements, in what was dubbed the biggest investment in the railways since the Victorian era.

Work has yet to begin on any of the projects, however, and exact timescales have remained unclear.

Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts raised concerns that the Midland main line scheme may be “slipping”, and could even drag on into the 2020s.

“A few months ago, the Government made the welcome announcement of the intention to electrify the Midland main line to Sheffield,” Mr Betts said.

“There is now a concern that the timetable may be slipping, and that only part of the route may be done by 2019.”

Speaking in the Commons, the Labour backbencher asked Transport Ministers for an “unambiguous” statement that the scheme will go ahead as planned, and be complete before the end of the decade.

In response, Rail Minister Simon Burns made clear there is no delay to the project and that it should be completed by 2019.

“May I try to reassure (Mr Betts), and say the intention certainly is to meet it by 2019,” Mr Burns said.

“We have no information or knowledge to suggest that there is any problem.

“I would not like a story to be established as fact that there is a delay, because we certainly do not believe that there is.”

Next month Network Rail will set out detailed plans for another key rail project which was given the go-ahead earlier this year – the “Northern Hub” package of rail improvements, that will see the trans-Pennine line from Liverpool to York electrified.

The project will allow faster and more frequent trains between Leeds and Manchester, and is forecast to add billions of pounds of value to the Northern economy.

The Office for Rail Regulation is due to make a key announcement in the Spring about precisely how much funding is available for the scheme.

Work is then expected to get underway on the Northern Hub in 2014.

The Yorkshire Post has been campaigning for the rail upgrade to be completed in full as part of its Give us a Fair Deal campaign.