Recommendations & Conclusions
5 items
1
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Trains fit for the futur…
Acknowledged
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 transport sector, particularly surface transport. This is a considerable challenge, …
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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 transport sector, particularly surface transport. This is a considerable challenge, and it offers the UK an opportunity to become a world leader in green transport and decarbonisation technology.
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Government response AI summary
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.
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Department for Transport
2
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Trains fit for the futur…
Acknowledged
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 Government to meet its legally binding net-zero target by
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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 Government to meet its legally binding net-zero target by
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Government response AI summary
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 …
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Department for Transport
7
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Trains fit for the futur…
Acknowledged
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 option for most of the network, not least because the …
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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 option for most of the network, not least because the alternatives are not suitable for freight and high-speed services due to their high energy demands.
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Government response AI summary
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.
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Department for Transport
8
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Trains fit for the futur…
Acknowledged
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 previous schemes should not be repeated.
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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 previous schemes should not be repeated.
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Government response AI summary
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 …
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Department for Transport
16
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Trains fit for the futur…
Acknowledged
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 battery and hydrogen have limitations in that neither can deliver …
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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 battery and hydrogen have limitations in that neither can deliver the energy demands required for high-speed rail and freight services.
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Government response AI summary
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 …
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Department for Transport