Emissions Reduction Targets

Question: I am grateful for that response and for all the work that the Department has done to reduce carbon emissions and to ensure that we meet our international targets. The Minister will be aware that road transport is a major polluter, accounting for more than a quarter of all carbon emissions, and that the railways are one of the most environmentally beneficial forms of transport. Can he reassure me that the environmental case for rail is being put to the Department for Transport and the ODPM, and will he agree to meet a delegation of interested MPs who wish to put the environmental case for rail and to discuss the Department's thinking on the environmental aspects of transport policy?

Answer: My hon. Friend is right about the valuable role that rail and public transport in general can play in reducing emissions from the transport sector. DEFRA and the Department for Transport have a very powerful joint public service agreement on reducing emissions from the transport sector, and we work together very closely. My hon. Friend will be aware of the investment going into the west coast main line and the upgrading of rail and signalling. Many new trains are being introduced on all our lines, which makes such transport more comfortable. I am only too happy to meet a delegation of MPs to discuss the environmental issues affecting transport.

Secondary information