Railway Electrification

[blueST]

There's been a fair bit of fuss in the media over the possibility some rail routes in the north that were planned for full electrification, will only be partially electrified. Local government up here is up in arms, but DfT say it's not a problem as hybrid trains that are both diesel and electric can be used.

Can anyone tell me what the advantages of an electrified rail system are compared to diesel and why it is so important? From a layman's perspective,the hybrid proposal seems a nonsense, as if the train has to lug a diesel engine round anyway, you might as well just save all the money and complication on electrification and run diesel for the whole journey.

[blueST]

I understand that is one of the problems, but what are the advantages of electrification? What can be achieved that couldn't with more modern diesels? Essentially, why the push for electrification in the first place?

[blueST]

Thanks for the info, learnt a lot.