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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 8, Issue 5 (September 1, 1933)

Railway Electrification In Britain

Railway Electrification In Britain.

Electrification of many suburban sections of the main-line railways serving London is likely to be put in hand in the near future. For almost twenty years the desirability for the change from steam to electric haulage in this important area has been recognised, but financial and other obstacles have, until recently, rendered the conversion impracticable. One railway—the Southern—has, since the Great War, tackled the problem of London electrification in earnest. While steam operation is still adhered to in the case of the majority of the main-lines out of the metropolis, on the Southern Railway almost the whole of the residential territory lying to the south of the Thames is now served by fast and frequent schedules of electric trains giving rapid, comfortable and clean movement of a kind much appreciated by the suburbanite.

The big new electrification schemes which are likely to be undertaken concern the London and North Eastern, and the London, Midland and Scottish systems. The work involves the electrification of most of the principal railway routes leading northwards and eastwards from the city, and it will call for the expenditure of immense sums on track and train equipment. In the case of the L. and N.E. Company, the principal termini affected are Liverpool Street, on the old “Great Eastern” section of the group system, and King's Cross, on the “Great Northern” division of the line. Liverpool Street, by an intensive steam train service, handles something like 30 per cent. of London's rail-borne workers. About a thousand trains leave the station daily, and apart from the heavy suburban business, there is an important fast passenger movement between Liverpool Street and Harwich in connection with the regular daily steamship services to and from the Continent. At King's Cross there are handled such world-famed Anglo-Scottish trains as the “Flying Scotsman,” and the “Queen of Scots Pullman,” as well as a heavy suburban business with stations like Finsbury Park, Highgate, Finchley, Edgeware, High Barnet and Welwyn. The L.M. and S. electrification will be centred on the commodious termini of Euston and St. Pancras, both of which stations deal with important main-line and suburban services. At the outset there will be undertaken the electrification of the lines lying within a radius of twenty or thirty miles of the city. Ultimately, it is probable the electrification will be extended further afield.