HC Deb 03 July 1979 vol 969 cc561-3W
Mr. Adley

asked the Minister of Transport if he will ensure that his Department obtains and examines, with a view to the relevance of their application to this country, the considerations which have led the Government of South Africa to undertake the reinstatement of a large number of steam engines for use on the South African railway.

Mr. Fowler

Obtaining this information is a matter for the British Railways Board, but I will draw my hon. Friend's point to the attention of the chairman.

Mr. Adley

asked the Minister of Transport what, if any, research is being done, or has recently been done, into methods of modernising and increasing the efficiency of railway steam engines; and if, in the light of the growing shortage of oil but an abundance of British coal, he will initiate research into this subject.

Mr. Fowler

I understand that in the United Kingdom a small research project is being carried out at Queen Mary College, London and similar work may be in progress in other parts of the world. I will write to my hon. Friend.

Mr. Adley

asked the Minister of Transport if he will state, from information available to him from international sources, those countries which still utilise steam motive power on their railway systems.

Mr. Fowler

Of those countries for which details are readily available the following use steam motive power on their railway systems:

Angola Denmark
Ethiopia Hungary
Ghana Italy
Kenya Poland
Mozambique Portugal
Nigeria Yugoslavia
Rhodesia Iraq
South Africa Jordan
Sudan Lebanon
Fiji Syria
Guatemala Turkey
El Salvador Bangladesh
Argentina Burma
Bolivia Cambodia
Brazil India
Chile Indonesia
Colombia Japan
Ecuador Korea
Paraguay Malaysia
Peru Nepal
Uruguay Pakistan
Austria Sri Lanka
Czechoslovakia Thailand

Mr. Adley

asked the Minister of Transport if, in the light of the massive upsurge of oil prices in the last few years, he will re-examine the cost-effectiveness of diesel traction, as compared to steam traction, on British Railways; and when such comparisons were last prepared.

Mr. Fowler

This is a matter for the British Railways Board. I understand such a comparison was last made before the dieselisation programme of the late 1950s and the 1960s.