The Office of Rail Regulation has instructed train companies to introduce training sessions for drivers to teach them how to reduce fuel consumption. The techniques include learning the precise point where it is possible to cut the power and coast to the next station.

The companies will inspect data recorders in the cab of each train to check how well drivers have performed. Those who drive in a fuel-inefficient way, accelerating too quickly or for too long and then braking hard, will be sent for remedial training.

Regulators also want electri-city meters to be installed in each train to show which routes use the most power.

The cost of supplying electricity to the rail network has risen by 67 per cent to £154 million in two years and is due to rise to £205 million next year. The cost of running diesel trains has also risen sharply because of global increases in the price of oil.

Modern trains consume more energy because safety and disability regulations have made them heavier. They also have air-conditioning and electric doors.

The regulator said Network Rail and the train companies had failed to take sufficient steps to conserve energy. In its quarterly review of the rail network, it said: “The very recent rapid rises are placing considerable strain on the industry.

“Faced with the prospect of permanently higher fuel costs, the importance of fuel efficiency becomes even greater.”

Michael Lee, the regulator’s director of industry analysis, said that it may be necessary to adjust the timetable to lengthen journey times if there was shown to be a significant fuel saving.

Mr Lee said there may be a trade-off between punctuality and fuel consumption, with companies accepting a small delay if it allowed them to conserve energy.

Modern trains can accelerate much faster and are often able to make up lost time if they are running behind schedule.

The companies would have to consider whether it was worth using extra energy to improve punctuality if 90 per cent of trains were already on time, “but it’s dangerous to give anybody an alibi for arriving late”, he added.

The regulator is also pressing Network Rail to upgrade the power supply, so that the energy lost by trains as they brake can be fed back into the system.

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