Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential (a) financial and (b) environmental merits of mandating the use of composite materials in railway sleepers.

The Department is aware of Network Rail’s ongoing work exploring the lifecycle costs and carbon implications of using composite materials for both sleepers and long-bearers, and Network Rail has begun to use these materials. The Department is not currently making a financial or environmental assessment of mandating the use of composite materials in railway sleepers at this time.