Rail is one of the greenest forms of transport, contributing just 1.4% of transport emissions and accounting for under 1% of all UK emissions. Rail has proven low-carbon technologies that can be scaled up quickly, and scaling up rail is one of the quickest ways to reduce UK carbon emissions. A single freight train removes up to 129 lorries from our roads, significantly reducing carbon emissions. Moreover, decarbonising rail improves performance and saves costs at the same time as cutting emissions. Over the longer term, it is cheaper to run electric trains.
RIA have been championing the case for cost effective decarbonisation for 5 years starting with the Electrification Cost Challenge in 2019. This helped put electrification back on the agenda by setting out the lessons from problem projects and showing how electrification was already being delivered efficiently with the potential to deliver even more if there was confidence in the pipeline. RIA’s recently published plan for a lower cost, higher performing net-zero railway provides a plausible, affordable, and deliverable integrated ‘track and train’ plan to build the decarbonised railway of the future and lower the cost of running the railway.