Rail
Government plans, commitments and targets
Headlines from the Transport Decarbonisation Plan (published by Department for Transport on 14 July 2021):
- The Rail sector is responsible for 1.4% of UK transport emissions.
- Deliver a net zero rail network by 2050 with an ambition to remove all diesel-only trains (passenger and freight) from the network by 2040. These targets appear to be welcomed by the industry.
- Deliver an ambitious, sustainable, and cost-effective programme of electrification guided by Network Rail’s Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TDNS).
- Battery and hydrogen trains will be considered alongside electrification as DfT decarbonise each currently unelectrified rail line.
- Plans to introduce a rail freight growth target.
- The Rail Environment Policy Statement has been published alongside the TDP to set a clear direction for the rail industry on environmental sustainability and to outline policy priorities for the Sustainable Rail Strategy.
Our next steps
We will be reaching out to key stakeholders from across the rail sector in order to get gather their insights around the barriers, opportunities, and infrastructure requirements for decarbonising the rail sector. We’ll then turn these insights into clear recommendations for Government to help shape future plans and policies.
Contact us
For general enquiries, or you simply want to find out more about decarbonising transport, contact our Decarbonisation of Transport team.
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