Goring and Streatley showing electrification and new footbridge
The Government is to back a rolling programme of electrification as part of efforts to decarbonise the railway, according to Transport Minister Baroness Vere.
Responding to a question asked in the House of Lords on May 18 by Lord Faulkner, regarding the Railway Industry Association’s recent Why Electrification? report (RAIL 930), she replied: “The Government welcomes this report and agrees that further electrification is required to decarbonise the railway alongside the deployment of battery and hydrogen trains on some lines. The best way to make effective use of the supply chain is a rolling programme.”
RIA Technical Director David Clarke said: “It is welcome to see the Government acknowledge that a rolling programme of consistent electrification work is best for the rail supply chain. A steady, consistent profile of work would not only allow businesses to deliver more cost-effectively, it would also support skills, innovation and investment, while supporting the Government’s decarbonisation goals.”
The Government is due to publish a transport decarbonisation plan that outlines how it plans to reach net zero transport emissions by 2050. The Department for Transport website states that this will be published in spring 2021.