Transport Decarbonisation Plan: Six key takeaways for civil engineers

It sets out the government’s roadmap to offsetting carbon emissions on the UK’s roads, railways and in the aviation sector.

While much of the plan concerns developing new technologies and harnessing advances in clean fuels, there are several tangible takeaways for civil engineers.

Rail electrification pipeline

The DfT has pledged to publish a pipeline of rail electrification schemes as part of its commitment to decarbonising the UK’s transport systems.

While stopping short of naming specific schemes the plan commits to “deliver an ambitious, sustainable, and cost effective programme of electrification”.

It adds: “Electrification – a proven, existing technology – is likely to be the main way of decarbonising the majority of the network.

“Electrification does not merely decarbonise existing rail journeys; it has a clear record of attracting new passengers to rail, the so called ‘sparks effect’, thus also decarbonising journeys previously done by road.

“We will also pursue options for electrifying the remaining diesel pockets of the third-rail network. Further electrification schemes will be announced shortly.”

Airport expansions face climate change test

After unveiling his decarbonisation plan, transport secretary Grant Shapps conspicuously dodged MP Sarah Olney’s question on Heathrow’s third runway.

However, he did commit to achieving net zero within the aviation sector.

While the majority of pledges around aviation centre on developments in hydrogen planes and cleaner fuels, the Jet Zero document published alongside the Transport Decarbonisation Plan does make mention of airport expansions.

In fact, in the appendix it states that “expansion of any airport must meet its climate change obligations to be able to proceed”.

It adds: “The industry's need to rebuild from a lower base is likely to mean that plans for airport expansion will be slower to come forward.”

However, it stops short of committing to the CCC’s advice that any airport expansion should be offset by reducing flights elsewhere.

Instead, the report concludes that “by focussing on new fuels and technology […] our analysis shows that there are scenarios that can achieve similar or greater CO2 reductions to those in the CCC’s Balanced Pathway (which limits growth to 25% by 2050)”.

In the plan, the government also pledges to invest £3M in 2021/22 through the Zero Emission Flight Infrastructure programme “to accelerate R&D into infrastructure requirements at airports and airfields to handle new forms of zero emission aircraft”.

This will help UK airports and airfields to adapt more quickly to handle these “exciting new technologies”.

Backing for light rail

Light rail schemes were also given a boost, with the plan emphasising their importance to the build back greener agenda.

It says: “As we look to build back greener, light rail has the potential to be an environmentally sound local transport solution in its own right.”

According to the plan, light rail schemes can be “transformational for highly populated areas bringing societal, economic, and environmental benefits” by “connecting communities to jobs, hospitals, and leisure activities”.

There are currently eight electric-powered light rail systems in England. Between 2010 and 2018, passenger journeys on Greater Manchester Metrolink increased by 128%. Over the same period, they increased by 94% on Nottingham Express Transit.

Recognising the importance of light rail, the government has provided more than £200M of revenue support since April 2020 to light rail networks through the Revenue Grant and Restart Grant support schemes.

In 2019, the government conducted a call for evidence on how to better use and implement light rail and other rapid transit solutions in cities and towns. The Department for Transport is incorporating insight and analysis from the call for evidence to inform future policy.

Shift from road and air to rail

The plan also outlines proposals to support a move from road and air travel to rail, stating that the government is “committed to the construction of new lines to meet growing demand for rail travel”.

It continues: “We are building extra capacity on our rail network to meet growing passenger and freight demand and support significant shifts from road and air to rail.”

The plan says that building High Speed 2 (HS2) and running intercity train services on the new line will free up train paths and platforms across the heavily congested West Coast Main Line for additional local, cross-country and commuter services. This will also provide additional passenger capacity on the East Coast and Midland Mainlines.

It adds: “HS2 will be an integrated part of Great Britain’s future rail network, unlocking benefits for passengers across the country. When combined with other major rail schemes, this will encourage even more people to make journeys by rail.”

Phase 1 and 2a of High Speed 2 (HS2) are currently underway, which will create 270km of new electrified track between London, Birmingham and Crewe by the early 2030s.

The Integrated Rail Plan, to be published “in due course”, will set out how the later stages of HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail will be undertaken.

Review of networks policy statement

Many environmentalists and politicians will be disappointed to see the government recommit to its £27bn road investment strategy.

Some corners were hoping to see the DfT follow the Welsh Government’s lead and pause its road building strategy and carry out a full review of each proposed scheme’s environmental impact.

However, Shapps doubled down on the need to build more roads, instead focussing on reducing the emissions of vehicles.

Despite this, the Transport Decarbonisation Plan does pledge to carry out a review of the National Networks Policy Statement which underpins road investment within the UK.

The report adds: “The current National Policy Statement (NPS) on National Networks, the Government's statement of strategic planning policy for major road and rail schemes, was written in 2014 – before the Government's legal commitment to net zero, the 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the new Sixth Carbon Budget and most directly the new, more ambitious policies outlined in this document.

“While the NPS continues to remain in force, it is right that we review it in the light of these developments, and update forecasts on which it is based to reflect more recent, post-pandemic conditions, once they are known.”

Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure promise

The government has also said it will ensure the UK’s charging infrastructure network “meets the demands of its users”.

As such, it will invest £1.3bn over the next four years to accelerate the pace of chargepoint rollout, and also plans to publish and EV infrastructure strategy later this year.

A range of measures will be introduced to ensure the chargepoint network is adequate. These include:

• £950M Rapid Charging Fund will invest in upgrading grid capacity at service areas across motorways and A-roads to support motorists making longer journeys in EVs. By 2035 the government expects to support the roll-out of 6,000 ultra-rapid chargepoints across the strategic road network.
• On-Street Residential Scheme supports local authorities in installing EV infrastructure on-street and in public car parks. The scheme has been enhanced in response to local authority feedback, to increase the funding available per chargepoint and remove the maximum project size cap. The government has committed £20M for 2021/22.
• £90M Local EV Infrastructure Fund, opening in 2022, will support the rollout of larger on-street charging schemes and rapid charging hubs across England, meeting a broader range of consumer needs.

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