NEWS.CATEGORY: Political

TSSA welcomes train electrification agreement

London Overground bridge on the electrified Gospel Oak-Barking line ©Donnacha DeLong
London Overground bridge on the electrified Gospel Oak-Barking line ©Donnacha DeLong

TSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes, has welcomed an agreement to help accelerate the electrification of the Britain's rail fleet.

Hitachi Rail and engineering company Hyperdrive Innovation have signed an agreement to help accelerate the electrification of the UK’s rail fleet – developing battery packs to provide zero-emission power for trains across the UK.

Commenting, Manuel Cortes said: 

"Our union welcomes this because we know our railways have a vital role to play in driving down carbon emissions – that's a no brainer.

"My hope would be that battery powered trains can be just one part of the solution of supplying green energy to our current fleet of new electric trains.

"What we need to see is clear Government commitment and action to get behind a rolling programme of rail electrification in order to meet targets on decarbonisation.

"If Ministers are serious about climate change then electrification of our railways must be a priority because doing so will reduce emissions and pollution as well as delivering skilled engineering jobs across the network."