Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 89 of the Williams-Shapps plan for rail, whether his Department has published an environment plan to establish rail as a key pillar of a cleaner future transport system.

Following the publication of the Plan for Rail, government published its Rail Environment Policy Statement which set strategic direction for the rail industry on environmental sustainability and to outline policy priorities for a Comprehensive Environment Plan. Building on this strategic direction RSSB has been commissioned to produce an industry-led strategy, a ‘Sustainable Rail Blueprint’ which provides industry with a framework to guide work on building a more sustainable railway. It is expected that this will form input into the Long-Term Strategy for Rail. The Department expects the Sustainable Rail Blueprint to be published later this year.