Freight
Rail freight is essential for transporting food, materials and goods across the country, helping reduce road congestion and carbon emissions. Yet less than ten per cent of the UK's freight is transported by rail, this needs to change.
We want to see a reduction in the pollution and congestion caused by our reliance on road haulage and rail provides an efficient, safe and clean alternative. Each freight train can remove up to 129 lorries from our roads – that’s more than a mile of lorries on a motorway – resulting in around one billion fewer lorry miles every year.
During the pandemic, innovative rail freight routes were devised and reintroduced to use the full capacity of the network and keep supply chains moving.
We want to see even more freight moved by rail. To do so we need:
- Ambitious government targets for rail freight growth to incentivise a shift away from road haulage
- More private investment to accelerate the growth of rail freight along key routes
- A rolling programme of rail electrification, particularly to in-fill small gaps in the network so trains can run under the wires for much longer distances.
“Trebling freight by 2050 … is worth £7.35 billion to UK plc and equates to 21 million fewer HGV movements annually, supporting the economy and the environment.” Rail Partners
"I want the Government to stop talking about potential climate solutions and start showing real investment in and support for the climate-friendly buses and trains we already have."
Reopen Rail Lines
Reopening a disused rail line can transform an area, boosting the local economy, creating better places to live and reducing carbon emissions. We want to see many more lines and stations reopened.
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