UK Environment Bill will not apply to heritage steam

[John Ashworth]

Government confirms Environment Bill will not apply to steam locomotives

Lord Faulkner, Heritage Railway Association President, has secured Government assurance that the Environment Bill will have no direct impact on heritage steam, and that they do not intend to change its policy towards heritage steam... The last figures from the HRA has shown that total steam locomotive emissions were just 0.023% of the UK’s total carbon dioxide emissions, which means that, according to the HRA, Heritage Rail provides to of the most efficient services per passenger mile and brings £1bn to the national economy...

Back in July, Lord Faulkner’s amendments hit the headlines when Baron Neville-Rolfe spoke in support of Heritage Rail, saying “…this Bill could bring about the death of Thomas the Tank Engine and his or her nautical steamboat equivalent…” Responding, Environment Minister Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist has confirmed that heritage vehicles are not in the scope of the Environment Bill, including steam trains, road vehicles and boats...