Clean rail travel vital to UK: we need a government that can deliver it

[John Ashworth]

Clean rail travel is vital to the UK’s future: now we need a government that can deliver it

Electrification of lines is key to a low-carbon system. Yet project after project has been scrapped ...

Working on the railway, we see our industry as part of the solution to the climate emergency, as it provides one of the most efficient, low-carbon forms of transport. Right now in the UK, you can reduce the CO2 output from a journey by roughly 70% by switching from car to train. On an electric train, you can save 90%. That’s pretty good, especially with road haulage struggling – and petrol prices spiking. But for years now we’ve seen railway upgrades stalled and cut back, as Westminster shortchanges passengers and does away with the jobs needed for a just transition to a low-carbon industry. This transition needs a long-term national strategy, and Network Rail does make strategic plans over five-year blocks called control periods. Unfortunately, though, recent UK governments have preferred to announce grand transformations followed by drastic cutbacks and U-turns...