Railway electrification and wireless power: Unit economics
What a kilometre of overhead wire costs, and why
What this tab covers What it costs to move a unit of energy this way: capital and operating costs, tariffs, utilisation and how it compares with the alternatives.Electrifying a railway costs roughly £0.75 million to £2.5 million per single-track km in the UK, but electric trains are more than 35% cheaper to run than diesel. Swap stations cost about 15 times a fast charger (calculated), and in-road charging has no settled cost yet.
Key costs
| Measure | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| UK electrification, well-delivered simpler projects | 750,000 to 1,000,000 GBP per single-track km3 | overhead line, power and associated works, 2019 |
| UK electrification, troubled recent projects | 2 million to 2.5 million GBP per single-track km3 | complex projects should not exceed £1.5 million |
| Overhead line only, Switzerland and Germany | 350,000 to 450,000 GBP per single-track km3 | narrower scope than UK figures |
| Running cost, electric against diesel trains | over 35% cheaper%3 | RIA citing a 2009 UK Department for Transport paper |
| Battery swap station | at least 1.5 million (about 207,600) CNY (USD)9 | against about 100,000 yuan for a fast charger |
| Price per swap | 80 to 100 CNY9 | China, 2024 |
| Detroit in-road charging development contract | 1.9 million USD6 | 2022 contract; 0.4 km operating in 2023, 1.6 km planned; not a per-km cost |
Where the money goes
| Item | Share or amount |
|---|---|
| Route clearance (raising bridges, lowering track in tunnels) | 30 to 40% of the cost of some UK schemes3 |
| Overhead line, power supply, signalling, design and delivery | Remaining 60 to 70% (calculated); not split in the source3 |
| Swap station against fast charger | About 15 times the hardware cost (calculated: 1.5 million / 100,000 yuan)9 |
Electrification pays back on busy lines, where cheaper energy, lighter trains and lower maintenance are spread over many train-km; on quiet lines battery or diesel trains can be cheaper. Wireless roads face the same utilisation test, but with far fewer equipped vehicles today. Swapping costs more per station than charging but sells speed, and only works where many vehicles share one pack design.
Sources
- Electrification Cost Challenge Railway Industry Association (RIA), 2019
- Detroit unveils wireless EV charging roadway Construction Dive, 2023
- China is betting on battery swaps to tackle EV chargers shortage Rest of World, 2024