Third Special Report: Trains Fit for the Future? Government Response to the Committee’s Sixth Report of Session 2019–21

This is the government's response, published 27 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.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error