Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 21
21
The Department told us that electrifying the rail network is a key part of decarbonising...
Conclusion
The Department told us that electrifying the rail network is a key part of decarbonising and achieving net zero on the railway and that to ensure success, a steady long-term plan for electrification is needed. However, the Department acknowledged that its approach to electrification in recent years has reflected a “feast-and-famine” attitude.53 Data published by Network Rail shows a substantial range in annual track electrification undertaken since 1970, ranging from less than 10 track kilometres to almost 600 track kilometres, interspersed with years where no electrification took place.54 We asked whether the Department planned to rectify this through developing a long-term electrification plan, and it told us that high-level ambitions for rail would be set out in its planned Transport Decarbonisation Plan but it was unlikely that this Plan would contain a detailed long- term strategy for rail.55 44 Q 37; Transport Committee, Oral evidence: Williams-Shapps plan for rail, HC 230, 26 May 2021 45 Transport Committee, Oral evidence: Williams–plan for rail, HC 230, May 2021 46 Qq 29, 38, 49 47 Q 51 48 Q 49 49 Q 31 50 Q 32 51 Network Rail, Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy – Interim Programme Business Case, July 2020, p131 52 Q 33 53 Qq 52, 53 54 C&AG’s report, p29 55 Qq 52–55 14 Overview of the English rail system
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
5: PAC conclusion: We are disappointed at the lack of progress in agreeing a specific and funded plan for the electrification required to achieve the government’s own net zero targets 5: PAC recommendation: In its December letter to the Committee, the Department should set out how it will work with others to deliver the electrification required to meet net zero commitments over the long term, and how it plans to fund a stable programme of investment. 5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: December 2021 5.2 The government will write to the Committee in December 2021. In July 2021, the government published the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, which outlines how it will achieve net zero carbon emissions across all modes of transport, together with a Rail Environment Policy Statement. These documents include a commitment to deliver an ambitious, sustainable, and cost-effective programme of electrification, guided by Network Rail’s Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TDNS). TDNS recommends electrifying circa 85% of the remaining unelectrified network and deploying battery and hydrogen trains on the remaining 15%. 5.3 In the three years to 2021, almost 700 track miles were electrified in England and Wales. The department will take forward new electrification schemes through the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP), ensuring lessons from previous schemes are learned and individual projects deliver value for money. The RNEP will continue to allow the department to use this government’s significant investment in rail infrastructure to take forward priorities such as decarbonisation. By managing that funding as a portfolio, DfT can ensure that investment is made in the schemes that will have the greatest impact. 5.4 The William-Shapps Plan for Rail promises to bring together responsibility for the whole system under a single organisation. GBR will be responsible for identifying the right technology for the right part of the network, delivering the necessary infrastructure, and commissioning the right train services, ensuring the decarbonisation target is met by 2050. DfT’s sustained electrification programme will present opportunities to develop supply chain capacity and support long-term employment opportunities.