Britain must embrace freight to meet reduction targets, says RMT

Britain needs a massive shift of freight and passenger traffic from road to rail if it is to have any chance of meeting its carbon-cutting targets, Britain’s biggest rail union has said.

At least 12 per cent of private car journeys and some 53 percent of freight must transfer to trains by 2050, requiring massive new investment and a complete change of direction by the government, says RMT, drawing on new research by the Just Economics think-tank.

The report said those targets would bring social and economic benefits estimated at £154.8 billion by 2050, thanks to reduced road congestion, accidents and emissions.

The report highlights that  96 per cent of transport emissions will come from private forms oftransport and trucks by 2030 if current trends continue

The UK is predicted to have higher per-capita emissions than France, Germany and Italy, all of which have invested more heavily in rail systems that are publicly owned.

Report author Eilis Lawlor said: “Our previous research has looked at the social and economic costs of a rail system that is not fit for purpose. However, these are eclipsed by the environmental benefits that could be realised if our public transport system could be utilised to reduce road dependence.

“People cannot be expected to give up their cars unless there is a decent public transport system. Even more pressing is the need to reduce the amount of freight carried by road but the relative cost of rail makes this prohibitive.”

General secretary Bob Crow said: “For all the fine words at the recent Rio summit and the ConDem government’s claim to be the greenest ever, transport policy is moving in the opposite direction to the one the environment, and the economy for that matter, desperately need.

“The McNulty review, now enshrined as government policy, will take the axe to rail capacity and impose never-ending inflation-busting fare increases – moves that can only force passengers off the rails and onto roads.”