Railways: Electrification
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the time taken to deploy partial electrification on the rail network.
Answered by Keir Mather
Historically, full overhead electrification has been the main way to electrify the railway and 74 per cent of passenger kilometres travelled are already electric. Although a specific assessment of the deployment of partial electrification has not been made, the Government intends to focus on being more efficient with where we deliver electrification by leveraging the recent progress in battery technology on the railway, including the use of partial electrification. Battery trains are already being deployed by both Transport for Wales and Merseyrail. We are working closely with colleagues in Network Rail to identify lines which could have battery trains on them in the future, developing a clear picture of where infrastructure will be needed to decarbonise the railway.
We are working on a long-term rolling stock and infrastructure strategy, which will be the first for over thirty years, to give certainty to the manufacturing and assembly market, and to pursue modern standards of carbon-friendly traction, passenger comfort and accessibility.
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