isramart : UK Great Western train line electrification to save CO2

Isramart news:
A £1.1 billion scheme has been approved by the UK government to electrify one of Britain’s busiest railway lines.

Stretching from London to Cardiff, the Great Western line is to be electrified between the UK capital and Swansea over the next eight years, in a move that could noticeably cut emissions from public transport.

Currently, less than 40 percent of the UK’s rail network, which is the oldest in the world, is electrified - with most lines still operating diesel-burning trains.

Prime minister Gordon Brown announced the electrification programme at a press conference from Paddington Station in London, adding that lines between Liverpool and Manchester will also be upgraded.

“This is the future. It is green, it is faster and it’s more reliable. This is about making the railways fit for the 21st century,” he said.

“We have set aside money for this. It’s an important priority for us.”

The news comes after the government pledged recently to cut the CO2 emissions from transport by 14 percent by 2020.