Diesel trains at Haringay Green Lanes station. After the Barking-Gospel Oak line is electrified, these trains can be transferred to other lines

Rail campaigners were celebrating today (28 September 2015) after confirmation that one of the few diesel-operated lines in London is to be electrified after years of prevarication and false hopes.

The £57 million contract to electrify London Overground’s 13-mile-long Barking-Gospel Oak line has been awarded to J Murphy & Sons. Construction will begin in 2016 with a target conmpletion date of 2017.

This is reassuring news after the Government temporarily paused work (pending a review and replanning) on other electrification schemes in the north of England and the English Midlands.

Construction Enquirer reported today that work will start next year and be completed the following year.

The project will mark progress in Railfuture’s campaign to eliminate diesel working from the capital as soon as possible.

It will also allow the modern class 172 diesel units from the Barking-Gospel Oak line to be used elsewhere in Britain to offset the severe shortage of good diesel trains.

Railfuture’s Graham Larkbey, who has campaigned for years for the line, said: “This modest but crucial ‘infill’ scheme is desperately needed so that four-car electric trains can replace the line’s chronically overcrowded two-car diesels, and enable its growing freight traffic to be hauled by cleaner electric locomotives.”

Background: RFBG