ELECTRIC RAILWAYS

Southland Times, Issue 20011, 27 October 1926, Page 2

ELECTRIC RAILWAYS

LONDON SUBURBAN LINES. THIRD RAIL SYSTEM ADOPTED. WORK TO COST £3,750,000. Following the completion of the Southern Railway’s recent suburban electrification scheme, which, in the main, comprised the old South-Eastern and Chatham lin£s from Victoria, Charing Cross and Cannon Street, the company has announced a further large extension of electrification in the South London area, to be taken in hand at once. The lines comprise the whole of the old L.B. and S.E. suburban area with a small portion of South-Eastern, and the scheme includes the equipping of the 127 single track miles of existing “overhead” electric system with.the direct current third-rail, as used on the other electrified lines of the Southern, together with the laying down of the third-rail over 105 single track miles of railway at present worked' by steam — a total of 232 track miles, exclusive of sidings. The new track will cost £3,750,000. For a time the “overhead” electric system will remain, and trains will be worked by this system concurrently with, and over the same track as, trains worked on the third-rail system. Ultimately, however, the “overhead” equipment will be eliminated, and all trains will be worked on the thirdrail system, thus standardising, for all three sections of the Southern Railway, the suburban train equipment, track, etc. The proposed new all-electric services will give an annual train mileage of 7,636,000, equivalent to 100 per cent, increase in the case of present steam mileage, arid 50 per cent in the present electric mileage. The work will, it is hoped, be finished by the end of 1928. Additional electric rolling stock to the extent of 800 coaches will be needed for the scheme, and these will be obtained by conversion of existing steam stock as was done with the Eastern Section electrification. The converted vehicles, when finished, are indistinguishable from new. Owing to the withdrawal of steam vehicles for conversion, it will be necessary to continue in service for a limited period a number of vehicles which would otherwise have been broken up. It is hoped that every contract for equipment and material will be placed with British firms, in which case employment will be found for many months for a large number of British workmen.