From Hansard – Department for Transport Written Answers, June 23rd 2009:
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what funding his Department is planning to provide for the electrification of the Barking to Gospel Oak rail line; and if he will make a statement. [281471]
Chris Mole [holding answer 22 June 2009]: In January 2009 the Department for Transport made an offer to contribute a capital sum towards the cost of the electrification of the Gospel Oak to Barking line conditional on Transport for London (TfL) taking forward the project, including working up a business case, finding the balance of the cost and bearing all risks.
The Department’s contribution could be up to £25 million, the amount depending on as yet undefined savings against the budget for the North London Line Camden Road freight scheme announced last year.
TfL has now indicated that there is now little likelihood that it could undertake to fund and bear the risks of the electrification scheme.
Fair enough. We all know tfl is feeling the pinch, and e-goblin is not a huge priority.
Furthermore, TfL has committed to contribute £25m to the Croxley Rail Link (wholly in Hertfordshire), so it's unsurprising they can't match the DfT's proposed £25m funding to electrify the Gospel Oak to barking line (wholly in London).
Can't one of the big freight companies pony up?
Although ideally they'd pay for Felixstowe to Nuneaton!
There may be a timing issue but the comments from the DfT seem a little at odds with what is written in the TfL Commissioner's report for the TfL Board on 24/6/09.
I quote "TfL has met with DfT, who have agreed to ask Network Rail to undertake the electrification study for the Gospel Oak / Barking line at their expense."
It would be really nice to know what is actually going on with GOBLIN electrification.
At the moment the line suffers badly from using diesel trains. The acceleration out of stations is painfully slow. The 172s are supposed to improve this but does anybody know by how much? Can new, optimised diesel trains really get close to the performance of an electric train on this sort of urban route?
The 150s are also very noisy and so are all the newer DMUs I have come across. Does anybody know whether the 172s will be quieter?
Looking at the route, with its elevated sections, I can see why everybody shies away from an electrification project, and the payback time might be longer than for other projects, but surely there is long term value in biting the bullet and getting on with it.
One of the Costs that TfL say is prohibitive is biulding new platforms a Gospel Oak,…but if you run trans through from willsden junction to Barking, you do not need a stop at Gospel Oak
all interchanging betwen the NLL and GoBLIN could be down at any station between Willsden junction and Hamsteag Heath…and reduce the cost of electricifation
So roll on the WIBLIN