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More details from petition creator

It may be the most intensively used major diesel-only route not serving London. Four ‘fast’ Transpennine Express trains per hour run alongside two stopping trains from Leeds to Huddersfield and two others from Huddersfield to Manchester. In total, 6 tph.

This frequency justifies electric trains, and the new 3-car diesel trains are not long enough to cope with peak-time demand.

With around 90 miles of electrification required on a line so intensively used, it has a stronger case than longer lines such as Cross Country. Replacing DMUs with EMUs would start a cascade, increasing capacity on other lines; allow inferior ‘Pacer’ trains to be withdrawn; and provide sufficient rolling stock to run new services over reopened railway lines.

To continue to build diesel trains is not sensible. Oil is likely to be in short supply before the time that the newest diesels are life-expired. Electric trains should replace diesels on the busiest lines and older diesels replaced by the existing newer ones.

Current signatories

Ben Hughes, the Petition Creator, joined by:

• Mr Partis (petitions.pm.gov.uk/noavspeedcameras/)
• Michael A.Sorfleet. (petitions.pm.gov.uk/reopen)
• Jacqueline Sorfleet
• Antony Sorfleet
• Felix Sorfleet
• James
• charlie brady
• Peter Rathmell
• Bob Rayner
• Dominic Evans
• As long as the electricity not generated by nuclear power!
• Peter Skuce
• Mark Hollings
• Neal Ricketts
• Robert Robinson
• John Whitaker
• Holly Black
• Ian hughes
• Richard Pulleyn
• Philip Baker
• Paul Webb
• William A. Kirby
• Adam Brookes
• Tim Bray
• Aidan Lee Croft
• Roger Ford
• Brian Milner
• Ken Ward
• Robin Green
• Michael Walton
• Rowan Crawshaw
• Ian Griffiths
• Geoff Buswell