Closed petition Electrify the entire UK rail network by 2030

Closed on 6 November 2019

There are many problems with the UK rail network, but the most urgent is probably the simplest to fix: vast stretches of track remain unelectrified, and require diesel-burning trains to operate. A substantial investment in the short term will make rail transport cheaper and cleaner in the long term.

Train travel is one of the least carbon-emitting ways to travel–but it needs to be better. Electrification schemes have been put on hold or cancelled during the past decade, forcing the industry to continue to rely on expensive, dirty old technology. Public or private, this issue with the network must be addressed as part of an urgent commitment to fight climate change. The increase in demand for power should be mitigated by using railway land for renewables, for example solar on depot rooftops.