The UK government aims to decarbonize all rail transport by 2040, a measure that has broad parliamentary support. In September 2019, Transport Scotland announced the goal of having Scottish transport net carbon neutral by the year 2035. This would be achieved by a rolling programme of electrification; where that is not feasible, using battery and other emerging technology such as hydrogen.
In an attempt to mitigate and improve the cost situation and thus persuade the government to backtrack on its electrification cancellations, the Railway Industry Association published a report in March 2019 detailing why costs had risen and suggested ways forward. Campaign to Electrify Britain's Railway heavily circulated and advertised this report. The answer to a written question in parliament regarding route miles electrified in the years 1997-2019 made rather stark reading. It has been mainly agreed that electrification costs in the UK are too high though.
Railways in Scotland are a devolved matter but all parties including the Green Party are vigorously campaigning for electrification.
Roger Ford, the technical editor of Modern Railways, often writes about similar themes and coined the phrase “Bionic duckweed". This refers to putting off what needs to be done today because something new in the future may be just around the corner to refer to schemes that are not based on electrification but alternative technologies such as biodiesel and Hydrogen. Other writers have done likewise. Other authors also cite issues with the huge inefficiency of hydrogen as opposed to electrification and the safety of using hydrogen fuel.
In September 2020 the Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy Interim Business case was published. The principal recommendation was further electrification of 13,000 km (single track kilometres) of UK railways. As of November 2022, the TDNS has been quietly abandoned.
On 23 March 2021, the Transport Select Committee published a report in the 'Trains Fit for the Future" enquiry, which recommended a rolling programme of electrification that allowed for battery and hydrogen. Greater cost scrutiny was also recommended. The report was also highlighted in the mainstream press, featuring how Members of Parliament were calling for a rolling programme of electrification. In March 2021, in the April issue of Modern Railways magazine also reported that work was underway to extend OHL electrification to Market Harborough, but that the SPL Powerlines contractor was working in conjunction with Network Rail to extend wires beyond this to Sheffield and Nottingham. It was reported that the scheme was being divided into eight distinct route sections. On 22 April 2021, along with an open letter to Grant Shapps with fifteen signatures, the Railway Industry Association published their report "Why Rail Electrification". It was produced in conjunction with their RailDecarb21 campaign. These set out the case for a rolling programme of rail electrification. Both main political parties agree.
In July 2021, the UK Government released the document "Decarbonising transport – a better greener Britain" and at the same time released the supporting Rail environmental policy document. These were welcomed by the CEBR. These documents stated that rail electrification had a major role to play in the decarbonising agenda.
On 18 November 2021 the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) was published. This included full Midland Main Line electrification and upgrades. In addition, full Transpennine North electrification was included. However, in December 2021 plans were leaked showing the treasury had declined to provide funding to electrify and decarbonise the railways. Further outcry came after it was revealed in The Guardian that the majority of civil servants who wrote the plan don't even live in the North or Midlands.
The Railway Industry Association continues to carry out reviews on decarbonisation in an effort to hold both the government and the industry to account. Although not the same as electrification, the organisation and others suggest modal shift away from roads to an electrified railway, will also help the climate.