Select committee: Transport Committee
Recommendation 21
Sixth Report - Trains fit for the future?
Published 23 Mar 2021
Paragraph 97
Addressed to Department for Transport
Transport Committee Trains fit for the future? All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Encouraging modal shift from road to rail freight will be an essential part of ensuring the transport sector contributes to the net zero 2050 target. It is therefore crucial that any action taken to decarbonise the rail network does not have the adverse effect of distorting the competitiveness of the rail freight market and pushing freight on to the road. The risk of adverse outcomes highlights the need for the Government to produce its national freight strategy.
From: Transport Committee, Sixth Report - Trains fit for the future? (HC 876), paragraph 97, 23 March 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 27 May 2021 (deadline 23 May 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the report and agrees that rail must be made greener to meet net zero by 2050, and it agrees, partially agrees or notes the individual recommendations.
- On a long-term decarbonisation strategy (Recommendation 1), the government "partially agrees" and says a comprehensive environment plan for the rail network "will be published by 2022".
- On a 30-year rolling electrification programme (Recommendation 4), it "partially agrees", stating it "will endeavour to deliver that pipeline of schemes over the next 30 years", while continuing to develop schemes through the RNEP process.
- It "agrees" to work closely with other departments, including the Treasury, "to secure the necessary funding to deliver the policy that we will set out in TDP".
- On a single cross-modal freight decarbonisation target (Recommendation 10), the government "notes this recommendation" and says further details on freight decarbonisation will be set out in its forthcoming Transport Decarbonisation Plan.