Institution's response to new Oxford-Cambridge railway line

Matt Rooney, Head of Engineering Policy at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, comments on the Government’s decision to go ahead with the new Oxford to Cambridge railway line.

“Taking the first steps to rebuild the ‘Varsity Line’ would be a positive move towards improving the UK’s public transportation infrastructure. However, if reports are true that the Government is to forego electrification and run diesel-fuelled trains, this would be a mistake and a missed opportunity. By choosing high carbon infrastructure for short term cost savings, it would also send the wrong message in a year when we are hosting the UN climate change conference COP26.

The IMechE also believe that electrifying the rail network need not be expensive. If treated as a rolling national project, where skills and supply chains are maintained, the costs can be significantly reduced.”

In a 2019 report on the UK’s railways, we call for a long-term approach to the electrification of the UK’s railways.