Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of diesel-only trains on the environment.

Rail is a comparatively green mode of transport, but the Government is working to further decarbonise and reduce the impact of air pollution.

Diesel freight and passenger trains in Great Britain created 1,848 kilotonnes of CO₂e last year. The Government will reduce these emissions through our ambition to phase out diesel-only trains by 2040 and deliver a net-zero transport system by 2050.

Diesel trains can also contribute to air pollution hotspots. The Department is working with Network Rail and the wider industry to monitor the impact that diesel trains have on air quality, to help us make improvements where they matter most.