Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of how Great British Railways should work with new energy technologies to power the future of rail.

The government is committed to providing a net zero rail network by 2050, and to do so we will electrify most of the network and deploy battery and hydrogen trains on some lines, where it makes economic and operational sense. To support this Great British Rail will bring forward costed options to decarbonise the whole network to meet the government’s commitment to a net-zero society as part of the 30-year strategy. The 30-year rail strategy will provide clear, long-term plans to transform the rail, strengthen collaboration with industry and incentivise innovation in new energy technologies.

The government is currently supporting the development of battery and hydrogen technology in rail through innovation funding and research. This includes work on safety and wider issues that will have to be considered to allow battery and hydrogen trains smooth entry onto the network. As such, Great Western Railway has signed a deal that will see the UK’s first battery-only train enter scheduled passenger service this year, trialling Vivarail’s new fast charger. The trial is supported by £2.15m funding from the Department for Transport's Rail Network Enhancement pipeline (RNEP).