Bath MP Calls for Commitment on Railway Electrification after Government “failure” to stay on track

8 December 2023

On Thursday the 7th of December, Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath and Liberal Democrat Transport spokesperson pressed the government for a long-term commitment to electrify the UK's railway network during an urgent question to the Secretary of State for Transport, Huw Merriman.

Data from the House of Commons library, commissioned by Wera Hobhouse’s office earlier this year, revealed that between 2015 and 2022 the UK only once, in 2019, met its target of electrifying 448km track a year.

Mrs Hobhouse told the House that while some upgrades and projects are moving forward, the overall pace of electrification is lagging. She highlighted that only 101 miles of track were electrified this past year.

On the East West Rail project that will connect communities between Oxford and Cambridge, the MP criticised the planned use of diesel trains rather than full electrification. "Dirty diesel trains are still going through Bath," she said. The Liberal Democrats, however, call for all new railways to be built as electrified ones.

In response, Transport Minister Huw Merriman pointed to major electrification projects contained in the Integrated Rail Plan. However, Hobhouse asserted that a more ambitious national strategy is still needed.

"Upgrades to our trains must include electrification, but electrification is at a standstill," she concluded, pressing the government to commit to a long-term, expansive electrification programme.

The Bath MP stressed that communities deserve cleaner, modern rail connections, and the government must match rhetoric with real action on upgrading rail infrastructure.

Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath and Liberal Democrat Transport spokesperson, commented:

“For the Transport Secretary to stand there and celebrate the Conservative Government’s miserable record on creating a Net Zero railway is simply astonishing. He must know that there is no way to spin this - his Government is just failing.

“The Liberal Democrats know that an efficient public transport network is one of the keys to completing our green transition. That is why we are calling for all new railways to be built as electrified ones and we would implement a new rail upgrade plan, ensuring a cleaner, faster and better rail network which is fit for the future.”

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