UK: The rail industry has called for faster action to implement the government’s Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener plan which was published on October 19. Key policies in the strategy include ‘a net zero rail network by 2050, with the ambition to remove all diesel-only trains by 2040’ and ‘significant investment in rail electrification and city rapid transit systems’.
The strategy includes use of hydrogen and battery trains ‘where they make operational and economic sense’.
The government said it will ‘build extra capacity’ to meet growing passenger and freight demand and support significant shifts from road and air. This includes ‘new high speed lines, reopening lines closed under the Beeching cuts and significant improvement to regional city public transport networks with the aim of making them as good as London’s.’
The plan adds that ‘Great British Railways will encourage more rail freight by providing the right conditions for industry growth, with better co-ordination, modern contracts, and new safeguards’. This would include investment in capacity and infill electrification, introducing a rail freight growth target and incentivising the use of low carbon traction.
Responses
Responding to the strategy, Andy Bagnall, Director General at the Rail Delivery Group, said ‘to realise the net zero ambition, government needs to commit to a long term programme of investment, to decarbonise today’s railway and build the railways of tomorrow, as well as using policy levers to make travelling by clean, green trains more attractive compared to going by car or plane.
‘We want to work with government to build a net zero railway, which will also boost the economy by creating new jobs across the country in both the rail industry and high tech manufacturing sectors of the future, such as hydrogen or batteries.’
David Clarke, Technical Director at the Railway Industry Association, noted that the strategy ‘is the second document, alongside the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, confirming the government’s commitment to further electrification and hydrogen and battery trains.
’Yet, although we welcome these positive plans, action is needed now if we are to reach net zero on our railways by 2050. As Office of Rail & Road statistics recently showed, we are electrifying at less than half the rate required to meet the 2050 target, and the UK is still yet to see any significant new electrification projects or major fleet orders of low carbon battery and hydrogen rolling stock. This lack of commitment puts at risk our existing electrification and rolling stock capability, which we know we will need to meet the 2050 target.’
General Secretary of the TSSA union Manuel Cortes was critical. ‘Sadly the government’s strategy underscores their appalling lack of ambition when it comes to our railways and ignores the urgency of the climate crisis which faces us all’, and the net zero target date should be brought forward from 2050 to 2030.
