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Government invests in electrified rail lines
Tue 15 Dec 2009
The government is to invest about £200 million on electrifying three major rail routes in north-west England.
According to the Department of Transport, the investment will centre on routes between Huyton and Wigan, Manchester and Euxton Junction and Blackpool North and Preston.
Transport secretary Lord Adonis said this should help to make Britain's railway network more reliable, comfortable and environmentally friendly.
He described the current electrification programme as the biggest of its kind in a generation and stressed the importance of investing in railways over the longer term.
Lord Adonis added that the government is continuing to look into the possibility of electrifying other rail lines, such as the Midland Main Line connecting London, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.
It is hoped that more than two-thirds of passenger rail routes will be electrified by 2017.
This coincides with the introduction of the UK's first high speed rail service, a £5.8 billion line that connects 22 towns and cities.