Sixth Report - Trains fit for the future?

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.

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

While we recognise the immediate challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, we are concerned about the frequent delays to the publication of the Department’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan and the Rail Reform White Paper based on the Williams Review. These delays have unfortunately compounded the difficulties for the rail industry to plan and invest in the development of a carbon- free railway.

We recommend that the Department for Transport publishes a long-term strategy for decarbonising the rail network as a matter of priority. This should include a vision for what proportion of the future network will use electrification, battery and hydrogen. That strategy should be supported by appropriate costings, a credible delivery plan, and enabling targets and milestones. These targets and milestones should clarify how the 2040 and 2050 targets will fit together.

Dedicated investment over the long-term will be essential in order to meet the considerable challenge of decarbonising the rail network by 2050. There will be understandable pressures on public spending in the coming years as the country recovers from the pandemic. However, measures to decarbonise our transport sector ought to be considered a Government priority.

We call on the Department to work closely with other Government departments, including the Treasury, to secure agreement for the levels of funding necessary to begin implementing a long-term decarbonisation programme of the rail network. (Paragraph 31) 34 Trains fit for the futuree Rolling programme of electrification

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.

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.

We understand that rail electrification project costs are monitored by the Department and Network Rail as part of the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline process. Any overspend would be flagged by that process. The financial failures of previous electrification programmes caused work to cease. It is vital that the future electrification programmes are subject to a new cost discipline, with robust and rigorous financial controls that enable electrification to be successfully delivered to budget.

We recommend that the Department implements an enhanced financial mechanism beyond that contained in the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline process. That enhanced financial mechanism must be designed to ensure that strict transparency and adherence to cost discipline are maintained in any electrification programme.

As recommended by our predecessor Committee in 2018, the best way to deliver efficient and cost-effective electrification is to establish a rolling programme of electrification over the next 30 years. A rolling programme of electrification should also support the delivery of the Government’s “green industrial revolution” and “levelling up” economic disparities between the regions. The task of decarbonisation belongs to successive governments, but this administration must take the first steps towards meeting the 2050 “net zero” target.

We recommend that the Department commits to a 30-year rolling programme of electrification projects and sets this out in its long-term rail decarbonisation strategy.

The scale of change required to meet the 2040 and 2050 rail decarbonisation targets is considerable. We believe it would be beneficial to start the electrification programme as soon as possible, rather than wait for the start of the next control period in 2024. This would also enable the industry to retain the workforce skills and experience it has developed through recent electrification schemes.

We recommend that Network Rail and the ORR continue to explore the potential for an extension in third-rail electrification capability and that the Department, as the overall sponsor of rail decarbonisation, proactively monitors this development in Trains fit for the futuree 35 the event that Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road are unable to reach an agreement on whether to proceed with further third-rail electrification projects.”

In responding to this Report, if not earlier, the Department should publish the list of “no regret” electrification schemes identified by Network Rail and confirm which schemes they intend to deliver as a priority, the costs of doing so, and the timeframes. (Paragraph 62) Alternative decarbonisation technologies

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.

The Department must make the case within Government to ensure that hydrogen trains are fully incorporated within the forthcoming national Hydrogen Strategy. This will help ensure the roll out of this new technology is properly co-ordinated and supported by appropriate infrastructure.

In its response to this Report, the Department should provide more information on how it intends, working with other Government departments, to support the growth of a domestic battery industry to ensure this form of technology can be utilised on the railway.

Although the rail industry requires a long-term strategy for decarbonising the rail network, it is important that the strategy is sufficiently flexible to incorporate alternative technologies, such as hydrogen and battery, and other new technologies that might be developed. When and if it is demonstrated that clean, green and cost- effective alternatives to electrification can deliver the energy required by freight and high-speed passenger services, they should be introduced to decarbonise the rail network.

The long-term rail decarbonisation strategy must explain the process by which the development of alternative technologies will be reviewed and how such technologies can be incorporated into the network strategy, if they reach the necessary level of development.(Paragraph 88) Decarbonising rail freight

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. (Paragraph 97) 36 Trains fit for the futuree

As part of its upcoming cross modal freight strategy, the Department should ensure there is a single cross-modal freight decarbonisation target including both rail and road freight. (Paragraph 98) Research and development funding

We welcome Government funding to support the establishment of the Global Centre of Rail Excellence, which is a positive step in decarbonising the rail network. However, we heard evidence that the amount of research and development funding provided by Government for innovation in the rail sector compares unfavourably to other transport sectors. This will need to change if the rail sector is to meet the considerable challenge of decarbonising by 2050. R&D funding can help to catalyse the development of new technologies and support smaller businesses and local economies.

We recommend that the Department’s long-term rail decarbonisation strategy sets out how research and development will be supported and properly funded in order to deliver the scale of change required to decarbonise the rail network.(Paragraph 103) Making trains fully accessible

Public transport must be accessible to all. It is unacceptable that several train companies have consistently failed to meet targets to make their trains fully accessible, despite having had 11 years to do so. In our view, the Department’s response of extending the legal deadline and requiring monthly progress reporting does not treat this matter with the seriousness that it deserves.

The Department must set out how it will ensure that train operators meet the legal requirement to make their trains fully accessible and what sanctions will be used if some train operators once again fail to meet the deadline. We will monitor this situation closely. (Paragraph 110) Trains fit for the futuree 37