This could allow engineers to make repairs before serious problems develop, while potentially removing the need for Network Rail to run its yellow track monitoring trains as often. Meanwhile, the UK’s Great Western Main Line is testing sensors mounted on trains that can detect track problems by monitoring tiny bumps absorbed by the suspension. He added that the rollout of digital technology, electrification and soon batteries will revolutionise the way railways are run, making them more efficient, easier to maintain and cheaper to expand without costly infrastructure.įor example, Hitachi is trialling intercity trains in Italy which can switch between using overhead electric wires and battery packs for power – removing the need to rely on a diesel motor. “If you look at Italy, which is the classic case, they’ve invested heavily in high-speed rail and it’s now a very credible alternative to air.” ![]() “It’s right from a sustainability point of view and I think it’s the right thing to do. “I’d love to see a situation where it actually replaces domestic air travel,” Mr Barr said. ![]() The independent Climate Change Committee has said more domestic travel by train is key to aviation emissions hitting net zero by 2050. “Moving some of that passenger traffic creates extra capacity for and commuting.”Ĭompleting the full route from Euston to Manchester was “absolutely vital to enable that to happen”, he added.Īt the same time, he argued HS2 should be just the start of a national high-speed network stretching to Scotland, which would allow Brits to eschew flying. “HS2 isn’t all about getting people from London to Birmingham more quickly, it’s also capacity increases – particularly on the West Coast Mainline, which is a main corridor for container traffic,” he said. The executive, who previously ran Hitachi’s trains division, said HS2 would also deliver a much-needed boost to rail capacity – including commercial freight. Speaking this week at Hitachi’s European headquarters in Slough, Mr Barr highlighted the benefits of high-speed rail on the Continent, where it is much more widespread. The PM is said to be alarmed by Whitehall estimates that the entire scheme could now breach the £100bn mark. HS2 was originally approved as a Y-shaped route going from London to Birmingham and then on to Manchester and Leeds, with a price tag of around £30bn.īut the cost has since ballooned officially to £45bn just for the London to Birmingham section alone. The Government insists no decisions have been made. The proposals, which Downing Street has not denied, face opposition from senior Tories as well as major businesses. This has the potential to cause problems, Mr Barr warns, as Old Oak Common “isn’t set up to manage the volume of people that you’re going to have”. His comments come as Rishi Sunak is weighing plans to scrap the northern leg of HS2 between Birmingham and Manchester and have the line terminate in the West London suburb of Old Oak Common – instead of Euston – to save money. “The southern end is a key part of that, but you can only really enhance it by continuing to extend the network. ![]() In an interview with The Telegraph, Mr Barr said: “We should be getting on with it. Hitachi is also in the running to supply signalling infrastructure. They will be partly based on Japan’s Shinkansen “bullet trains” – which Hitachi is involved in making – and have a top speed of 225mph. Hitachi has been awarded a £2bn joint contract with French train manufacturer Alstom to build and maintain the fleet of 52 trains that will eventually run on the HS2 network. He added that high-speed rail services needed to become an attractive and credible alternative to domestic air travel if Britain is to successfully reduce its carbon footprint. Scaling back the troubled HS2 rail project “is not the right thing to do” and will make it harder for Britain to cut its carbon emissions, a top executive of Japanese manufacturing giant Hitachi has claimed.Īndrew Barr, president of Hitachi Europe, said the main benefits of the troubled scheme would only be realised if the line runs all the way into London and on to northern cities such as Manchester.
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