RIA welcomes Decarbonisation Taskforce report

The initial report of the Rail Industry Decarbonisation Task Force, led by former Angel Trains Chief Executive Malcolm Brown, has been published today, setting out industry’s response to the Government’s challenge to decarbonise the rail network by 2040.

In response, David Clarke, Technical Director at the Railway Industry Association (RIA) and a member of the Taskforce said: “The Railway Industry Association welcomes the report published today as a vital step in achieving the Government’s challenge of decarbonising the rail network by 2040, setting out a range of options including electrification, hybrid, battery, and hydrogen technology.

“Crucially, the report supports RIA’s view that electrification remains the optimal form of traction for intensively used railways, where appropriate. Now, the industry will set out how it can deliver electrification schemes cost-effectively, which will be explored further in RIA’s Electrification Cost Challenge report – due to be published soon, on 28 February.

“We welcome the Government’s positive response to the report and we look forward to working with them further on this important issue.”

1. The Decarbonisation Task Force’s report can be found here.
2. About RIA: The Railway Industry Association (RIA) is the voice of the UK rail supply community. We help to grow a sustainable, high-performing, railway supply industry, and to export UK rail expertise and products. We promote and represent our members’ interests to policy makers, clients and other stakeholders in the UK and overseas. RIA has 250+ companies in membership in a sector that contributes £36 billion in economic growth and £11 billion in tax revenue each year, as well as employing 600,000 people—more than the workforce of Birmingham. It is also a growing industry with the number of rail journeys expected to double over the next 25 years and freight set to grow significantly too. RIA’s membership is active across the whole of railway supply, covering a diverse range of products and services and including both multi-national companies and SMEs (60% by number). RIA works to promote the importance of the rail system to UK plc, to help export UK expertise around the globe and to share best practice and innovation across the industry.