The Treasury has blocked a £30bn blueprint to electrify Britain’s railways. The plan came from Network Rail’s recommendations to accelerate electrification of our nation’s rail system, over 18 months – was set out within the Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TNDS).

This block from the Treasury impacts the Government's commitments in both the levelling up and building back better agendas. The initial plan outlined the importance of taking action immediately to meet climate change commitments, a growing concern amid COP26. 

Network Rail's TNDS report had advised the electrification of 12,500km of railway over the next 30 years, with a further 1,400 km of track to be dedicated to hydrogen trains. In the last year, a mere 179km of electrified rail was added to the network, in accordance to ORR statistics. To meet the Network Rail’s target of a net zero railway by the half century, 448km is required to be placed year on year.

Electrification of lines is key to a low-carbon system. The UK, you can reduce the CO₂ output from a journey by roughly 70% by switching from car to train; with a further reduction to 90% on an electric train.  

With this block from Treasury it is clear that this transition requires a long-term national strategy from government to ensure that such funding blocks do not continue to happen. Now more than ever, it is important that steady investment and planning ahead are vital to see through the projects that will make a difference to the climate emergency. 

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