The Transport Committee is returning to its inquiry, Trains
fit for the Future, to investigate what action should be
taken to reduce the rail industry’s reliance on diesel-only
trains and how electric, hydrogen and battery power can be
deployed to achieve this goal.
The UK’s transport sector has a key role to play in the
Government’s legal requirement to achieve ‘net zero’ greenhouse
gas emissions by 2050. While rail is a relatively low-carbon form
of transport, the Government has pledged to remove diesel-only
trains from the rail network by 2040 and challenged the rail
industry to bring forward ideas.
For rail freight, current alternatives to overhead
electrification such as hydrogen and battery do not have
sufficient power to pull heavy freight trains. Bi-modes have the
potential to reduce emissions but there is currently no strategy
for decarbonising this sector.
The Department for Transport’s Decarbonisation Plan is expected
to set out how government, business and society will deliver the
emissions reduction across every mode of transport. Originally
due to be published this Autumn, the Department for Transport’s
Permanent Secretary, , recently
told the Public Accounts Committee that publication in January
2021 was a more realistic timeframe.
Chair of the Transport Committee, , said:
“We are returning to this inquiry as the transport sector is
working on some really exciting innovations to help meet the UK’s
net zero carbon commitment. As we move away from diesel-only
trains, we should look carefully at the alternatives. Hydrogen,
battery, electrification – all present opportunities to
re-evaluate our rail network with decarbonisation a prime
consideration.
“The Transport Committee was one of the six commissioning
committees of Climate Assembly UK. In their final report,
Assembly Members gave strong support for improved public
transport including Government investment in low carbon trains
and buses. Rail might play a small part in the sector’s
contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, but with surface
transport accounting for 70% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas
emissions and 23% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions overall,
it is vital that the sector looks at this issue from every
angle.”
The Committee’s inquiry into Trains fit for the Future
was first launched by the predecessor committee in April 2019 and
took written evidence. Plans to revive it early in this
Parliament were delayed by the arrival of the pandemic.
The Committee will hold evidence sessions following the October
recess. MPs will explore the challenges of deploying
alternatively fuelled rolling stock on the UK rail network,
hearing from service and equipment suppliers as well as passenger
and freight rail operators.
The Transport Committee was one of six commissioning committees
of Climate Assembly UK, which considered how the UK could meet
its target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The
Assembly’s report, The Path to Net Zero, published in
September 2020. Assembly members strongly supported government
investment in low carbon buses and/or trains as one of 18
considerations that they would like government and Parliament to
bear in mind when looking at surface transport and the path to
net zero.
Further information:
-
Read the written evidence submitted to the
inquiry:
https://old.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/transport-committee/inquiries/parliament-2017/trains-fit-for-future-17-19/publications/
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Climate Assembly UK report, Path to Net
Zero - Chapter 3, how we travel on land
https://www.climateassembly.uk/report/read/how-we-travel-on-land.html#how-we-travel-on-land
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Permanent Secretary to the DfT, , gives
evidence to Public Accounts Committee on 15 October,
2021:
https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/1038/default/
