Trains fit for the future?
Transport Committee
Closed
Inquiry
The inquiry will examine how technologies such as electric, hydrogen and battery can be deployed to reduce the rail industry’s reliance on diesel-only trains. Read written evidence submitted in the previous Parliament .
18
Recommendations
8
Conclusions
1
Report
2
Oral sessions
2
Events
Activity timeline 4 events
27 May
2021
2021
23 Mar
2021
2021
Report published
9 Dec
2020
2020
Oral evidence
11 Nov
2020
2020
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions
9 Dec 2020
View on parliament.uk
Andrew Haines · Network Rail
Andrew Kluth · Rail Industry Decarbonisation Taskforce
Chris Heaton-Harris MP · Northern Ireland Office
Helen McAllister · Network Rail
Malcolm Brown · Rail Industry Decarbonisation Taskforce
Philip Luxford · Department for Transport
Rachel Maclean MP · Department for Transport
11 Nov 2020
View on parliament.uk
Chris Smith · Thirteen Group
David Clarke · Railway Industry Association
Leo Murray · Possible
Mark Gaynor · Rail Delivery Group
Mary Grant · Porterbrook
Paul Smart
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sixth Report - Trains fit for the future? | HC 876 | 23 Mar 2021 | 26 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
5 results
1
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Trains fit for the …
Transport is the largest source of carbon emissions in the UK, accounting for 27% of...
Transport is the largest source of carbon emissions in the UK, accounting for 27% of total emissions. If the UK is to meet its 2050 net zero carbon emissions target, a concerted effort will be needed to dramatically decarbonise the …
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Government Response
The government welcomes the report, agrees on the need for decarbonisation, highlights past electrification efforts, and states that its forthcoming Transport Decarbonisation Plan and the new Great British Railways will provide a long-term strategy and clearer accountability for achieving net zero in rail.
Department for Transport
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2
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Trains fit for the …
We welcome the Department for Transport’s reaffirmation that it is committed to withdrawing all diesel-only...
We welcome the Department for Transport’s reaffirmation that it is committed to withdrawing all diesel-only trains by 2040—including freight trains. This will be a hugely important step in ensuring a greener, decarbonised rail network, which will be necessary for the …
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Government Response
The government partially agrees, stating they are developing a Traction Decarbonisation Plan (TDP) and Rail Environment Policy (REP) to set their long-term strategic direction for decarbonising the railway, with a comprehensive environment plan to be published by 2022. They do not explicitly reaffirm the commitment to withdraw all diesel-only trains by 2040.
Department for Transport
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7
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Trains fit for the …
Decarbonisation of the rail network over the next generation will require moving from diesel traction...
Decarbonisation of the rail network over the next generation will require moving from diesel traction to cleaner technologies, such as electrification, battery, and hydrogen. We agree with the Department and industry experts that electrification is the only immediately viable decarbonisation …
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Government Response
The government partially agrees, stating they are developing a Traction Decarbonisation Plan (TDP) and Rail Environment Policy (REP) to set a long-term strategic direction, with a comprehensive environment plan to be published by 2022, and notes the TDNS vision for technological mix.
Department for Transport
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8
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Trains fit for the …
Rail electrification projects within Great Britain have historically been costly.
Rail electrification projects within Great Britain have historically been costly. The Department and Network Rail have said that lessons have been learned from previous projects. The importance of this cannot be overstated. The mistakes that unnecessarily increased the cost of …
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Government Response
The government partially agrees, stating that the Department is developing a Transport Decarbonisation Plan and Rail Environment Policy to set a strategic direction for decarbonisation, and that Network Rail's TDNS and further analysis will ensure affordability and value for money, thereby aiming to avoid past costly mistakes.
Department for Transport
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16
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Trains fit for the …
We believe that battery and hydrogen technology should play an important part in decarbonising the...
We believe that battery and hydrogen technology should play an important part in decarbonising the rail network and should feature prominently in the Department’s long-term decarbonisation rail strategy. New technology should be embraced although we recognise that at present both …
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Government Response
The government partially agrees, stating they are developing a Traction Decarbonisation Plan (TDP) and Rail Environment Policy (REP) to set a long-term strategic direction for decarbonising the railway, with a comprehensive environment plan to be published by 2022. They note the need for further analysis on technology mix.
Department for Transport
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