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.