Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support the deployment of hydrogen-powered trains in the UK.

The Department sets carbon trajectory targets in franchise agreements to encourage industry to deliver greener trains which could include hydrogen.

The Department has also challenged the Industry to report on the options for having no more diesel only trains on the rail network by 2040. The report is due to be published shortly and is likely to set out a number of alternatives including hydrogen.

With hydrogen being just one of a number of exciting technological opportunities for the future of the rail network, I welcome the work of Alstom and Eversholt Rail who have recently unveiled the design of a new hydrogen train for the UK market.