Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to prevent the unnecessary felling of healthy trees on network rail infrastructure.

The rail estate Network Rail manages is estimated to include over six million trees. Network Rail’s main priority must be the safe and reliable operation of the railway which will mean that in some cases the felling of healthy trees will be necessary and the reconfiguring of woodland canopy a safe distance from the rail line is sensible. Network Rail has committed to achieve no net loss of biodiversity across the network by 2024 and a net-gain of biodiversity across the network by 2035.

Network Rail is also working with the Forestry Commission to identify opportunities for tree planting on land neighbouring the rail estate and has committed £1.2m for community tree planting through the Tree Council over the next five years.