Former ministers have called upon the Government to invest in more green technologies on Britain’s railways or risk missing net-zero targets.
The latest report published by Public Policy Projects (PPP) The Future of GB Rail sets out recommendations on how the Government can achieve net-zero rail by 2050.
The report also contains recommendations on how the Government can achieve its aims of creating a more efficient and passenger friendly rail service.
The report is chaired by former Rail Minister Stephen Hammond MP and was published in partnership with Siemens Mobility, Hitachi Rail and Trainline.
A total of 26 recommendations are set out in The Future of GB Rail report.
These recommendations include ways to achieve greater efficiency and passenger satisfaction and a better decarbonisation strategy.
This comes as rail industry leaders are set to debate the ways we can decarbonise Britain’s railways at the TCR Midlands event.
Mr Hammond chaired the report’s evidence finding process and commented in the foreword.
Mr Hammond said: “The Williams-Shapps plan for rail has signalled significant intent from this Government to deliver a cleaner and greener rail system that is more attractive to consumers.
“The plan’s recommendations… will aim to shift consumer habits while reviving the rail industry and improving the efficiency and efficacy of existing technology.
“However, the plan is imperfect.
“Industry leaders will need greater clarity to plan effectively and ensure they can meet current and future needs.
“This report discusses how to simplify the network, lay a policy foundation for better public-private cooperation, and procure the necessary investment to power the UK to its net-zero targets.”
The Government aims to remove all diesel only trains from the network by 2040 and deliver a net-zero network by 2050.
The Rail Industry Decarbonisation Taskforce discovered that electrification and targeted use of battery and hydrogen technology are the only ways to achieve this.
The report argues that there are currently no clear plans for further electrification of Britain’s railways.
Discontinuous electrification and battery trains can help to reduce both capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenses (OPEX) of electrification schemes.
Research commissioned by Hitachi Rail discovered that this could reduce overall lifecycle cost by more than 50% on some routes.
Chris Skidmore MP, the former Energy Minister who signed net-zero into law commented on the need for greater urgency from the Government to achieve its targets.
Mr Skidmore said: “The U.K. has set a clear target of decarbonising rail by 2050.
“Compared to other leading nations such as India and Japan, we risk lagging behind without a clear plan of how to electrify the network.
“Indeed, recent decisions have seen the chance to deliver net-zero rail go backwards with projects paused or cancelled.
“The report clearly outlines how rail can play a wider part in decarbonising transport.”
The Future of GB Rail is the first of several reports that PPP will be publishing on the future of net-zero industries and can be read here.
