Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comparative risks posed to the public by (1) a limited amount of extension of third-rail electrification for which a commercial case exists, and (2) continuing with the existing alternative arrangements of using diesel trains or carrying heavy freight traffic by road.

The Government is taking a holistic approach and our Transport Decarbonisation Plan will coordinate action across modes to deliver UK transport’s contribution to net zero. We are also supporting work to understand and reduce the railway’s contribution to air pollution.

We will take an evidence-based approach to identifying solutions, including taking account of the efficacy of past interventions and of new technological developments. We are supporting work by the Rail Safety and Standards Board to report in 2021 that will consider both the risks of extending third-rail electrification and the risks of not doing so.