Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of non-electrified trains on already electrified routes.
We expect rail operators to deliver passenger services with rolling stock that makes the best use of the available infrastructure, while considering operational requirements and the need to reduce industry emissions.
As we decarbonise the railway, we will design the rollout of further electrification in such a way to allow the switchover from diesel to electric as soon as possible, although some services will not be able to switch immediately if they use multiple lines.
For rail freight, we have committed in Decarbonising Transport: a Better, Cleaner Britain to pursuing short infill electrification schemes to increase the number of fully electrified routes available.