Government must roll out a major programme of railway electrification as soon as possible to help the sector achieve decarbonisation and encourage modal shift away from the roads, industry groups are urging.
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A new report from the Railway Industry Association makes the case for electrifying large swathes of the network in order to meet the Government’s aim of removing all diesel trains by 2040 and the national 2050 net zero target.
It claims that electric trains ‘will always provide the most powerful and efficient railway traction, with the lowest operating cost’, over other zero carbon options such as hydrogen.
A letter to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps signed by the association and 14 other groups warns: “We are now at a critical juncture for decarbonising our railways. To meet the legally binding 2050 net zero target, there is less than 30 years to decarbonise the UK rail network – yet there is currently no significant construction of electrification schemes in England.”
The National Audit Office has also published a financial overview of England’s rail system this week, in which it said shifting people and freight from road to rail could bring significant carbon savings, but requires the Government to invest in ‘greening’ the rail network.
This would require sustained investment in electrification over the coming decades “at or higher than the reasonably high level seen in recent years”, it added.
Railway Industry Association chief executive Darren Caplan said: “The rail industry will be unable to decarbonise the network without a rolling programme of electrification.”
While some recent schemes have come in significantly over budget, he said electrification could be delivered more affordably through a long term pipeline of work rather than the current ‘boom and bust’ situation, which he pointed out results in a loss of key skills during periods of lower investment.
“Crucially, a rolling programme of electrification needs to start now if the Government is to hit its net zero obligations, and if the railway industry is not to lose capability and expertise from the current hiatus in activity,” he said.
The RIA’s report also highlights that a modal shift of 4% of passengers and 4% of freight transport from road to rail would save more carbon than the rail sector’s current total emissions.
Campaign for Better Transport chief executive Paul Tuohy commented: “We want to see the Government encouraging people to switch their journeys to rail, while at the same time making rail even greener through a rolling programme of electrification. What a powerful combination this would be in the fight to decarbonise transport and improve air quality.”
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “We’re focused on expanding on the near 700 miles of electrified lines delivered in the last three years, alongside new hydrogen and battery technology trains, to help make rail journeys even cleaner and greener, and ensure we reach net zero by 2050.
“We are fully committed to decarbonising the whole transport network and our upcoming Transport Decarbonisation Plan will set out how we will achieve this.”
(Photograph: Network Rail)
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