The UK’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan: Everything you need to know

In 2021 the UK Government published its Transport Decarbonisation Plan as part of the UK’s ambition to reach its net zero target by 2050. The Transport Decarbonisation Plan lays out how the UK Government plans to work alongside local government and other key stakeholders to reduce carbon emissions produced by the UK’s transport sector.

👉 In this article we explore what the Transport Decarbonisation Plan actually is, what it means for the different sectors of the UKs transport industry, and how the Plan has been received.

Transport is one of the most polluting sectors in the UK and a major contributor to climate change. And although emission levels dropped as people were required to stay at home during the Covid-19 pandemic, they’re now returning to pre-pandemic levels.

The Transport Decarbonisation Plan is the UK’s response to this and sets out how the government will decarbonise its entire system of transport. 

It adopts a four part approach: 

• Reducing emissions
• Cutting costs for businesses and consumers
• Improving air quality across the UK 
• Tackling congestion

Procurement Policy Note 06/20 was introduced in September 2020 by the UK Government, and as per the contents of the note itself, it “launches a new model to deliver social value through government's commercial activities.

Central government organisations should use this model to take account of the additional social benefits that can be achieved in the delivery of its contracts...”

The key commitments outlined by the Transport Decarbonisation Plan are: 

• Zero emission cars, vans, motorcycles and scooters 
• Zero emission buses and coaches 
• Decarbonising railways 
• Accelerating aviation decarbonisation
• Increasing cycling and walking 
• Accelerating maritime decarbonisation

We’ll explore what each one of these commitments actually means in more detail in the rest of the article. 

Decarbonising transport in the UK will impact every part of the transport sector, from individual passenger vehicles to commercial flights.

But what exactly does this mean?

🚗 Passenger vehicles

The UK Government had already committed to banning new petrol and diesel cars and vans. Originally the plan was to ban sales from 2035, but the UK Government decided to bring the timeframe forward to 2030. 

👉New hybrid cars have been given a bit longer and are can continue to be sold until 2035, provided that they are capable of covering a ‘significant distance’ running on electricity only. 

After this point, the only new cars and vans that will be allowed to be sold in the UK will be electric or hydrogen models.

👀Second-hand cars however, will be unaffected by the ban, which means that second-hand petrol and diesel cars will still be available on the used market even after this deadline. 

So what changed with the Transport Decarbonisation Plan? 

In previous years organisations in the UK have called on the government to create a mandate on the sales of electric vehicles for manufacturers, in order to provide clarity to the car market. Those operating in the sector want more regulatory guidance for the role of electric vehicles as we transition towards net-zero. 

In response to this, under the Transport Decarbonisation Plan the UK government has committed to setting out a regulatory framework for vehicle manufacturers. The framework will address things such as fuel efficiency of new cars, vans and HGVs (heavy goods vehicles) and will also detail how this can create new jobs in the sector. 

🚌 Buses and heavy good vehicles (HGVs)

One of the headline commitments in the UK’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan is the ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol HGVs and buses. 

As a next step the UK’s Department for Transport will consult on proposals to phase out the sale of these polluting vehicles, with those weighing between 3.5 tonnes and 26 tonnes by 2035, and heavier vehicles by 2040.

🚂 Rail and Freight

The UK Government had already committed to phasing out diesel trains by 2040, a commitment that it announced back in 2018. But as it stands, more than half of the UK’s rail network runs on polluting trains. 

The Transport Decarbonisation Plan reiterates the commitment to remove all diesel trains (used to transport either passengers or freight) from the network by 2040. The government suggests that it may make even further commitments in this area at a later date, potentially including the commitment to create a net-zero rail network by 2050. 

During this interim transition phase, the UK Government also pledged to support the development of both battery and hydrogen trains, which can be used to make diesel trains cleaner, until the point when they are totally removed from the rail network. 

The government also confirmed that it will publish a ‘rail environment policy statement’ to set the direction for the rail industry on environmental issues such as decarbonisation, air quality, waste and biodiversity.

🛩 Aviation

Aviation has often been a point of contention when it comes to the discussion around transitioning to net-zero emissions. Globally the industry accounts for around 2% of human-induced carbon emissions, and it’s one of the worlds fastest growing transport sectors. 

The Transport Decarbonisation Plan doesn’t shy away from including aviation within its plans and the government confirmed that it is committed to aligning this sector with net-zero by 2050 too. As part of its plans the UK Government has launched a “Jet Zero” consultation which commits the aviation industry in the UK to the 2050 target. This will affect all domestic flights as well as all airport operations. 

👉The Department for Transport is consulting on an earlier target of 2040 for domestic flights.

🚲 Public Transport

The UK Government had already been warned by some environmental bodies that it was focusing too much on electric vehicles and not putting enough emphasis on the provision of transport alternatives in order to cut down on overall car use. 

In order to address this concern the Transport Decarbonisation Plan re-emphasises the UK’s pledge to invest over £2 billion in infrastructure across the UK to ensure that at least half of all journeys in the UK’s towns and cities can be walked or cycled. 

A further £12 billion will be invested in local transport systems which will enable local authorities to adopt clean transport options to reduce emissions and improve air quality in towns and cities across the UK.

🚢 Maritime and shipping

The Transport Decarbonisation Plan committed the UK Government to working towards net-zero for the domestic maritime sector. But what does this actually mean? 

Going forward, the UK Government will consult on a phase-out on the sale of new non-zero emissions domestic vessels, alongside the support of renewable fuels being used in shipping. 

The Transport decarbonisation Plan also commits the UK Government to press for more ambitious targets during the 2023 review of the International Maritime Organization’s ‘International Maritime Greenhouse Gas Strategy’. 

❓The International Maritime Organization is a UN body, whose aim is to promote safe, environmentally sound, efficient and sustainable shipping.

Undoubtedly the UK Government’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan is a step in the right direction, and many agree that the commitments are what's needed to address emissions produced by the transport industry. But there are those who believe that the plan isn’t ambitious enough. We take a look at some of these concerns in a little bit more detail below. 

Passenger vehicles 

No one can deny that moving away from diesel and petrol vehicles and towards electric ones is a good thing, but some argue that not enough emphasis is being placed on public transport alternatives. In fact, some studies suggest that the emphasis on electric vehicles could even increase car use and car ownership. Even if these cars are electric, the emissions from the production of the vehicles is cause for concern.

Rail

The UK Government’s controversial plans to create a high speed railway connecting London to the North-West of England will certainly help cut down on commuter car use. The proposed project is the largest infrastructure project in Europe and will provide public transport alternatives for car users. What's more is that the network will run on electricity. 

However, part of the project has been axed which has reduced the new rail networks outreach and ultimately means that many travellers won’t have an alternative to more polluting methods of transport such as cars.

Public Transport

Some believe that the UK Government has missed an opportunity to support the switch to clean and affordable transport alternatives, in order to cut overall car use. Encouraging walking and cycling is great, but some believe that we also need further investment in clean energy trains, buses and trams.

Aviation

There's no commitment or even mention of halting airport expansion or capping the growth in traveller numbers, which is something that the Government’s own advisory body (the Climate Change Committee) recommended.

Reliance on technological advancements

Some bodies have also raised concerns that the Transport Decarbonisation Plan is too reliant on technological advances that aren’t available on a commercial scale yet - for example, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, alternative transport fuels, and new emissions free aviation and shipping designs. 

Although the Transport Decarbonisation Plan has been met with some criticism, the overall ambition has been welcomed as a move in the right direction. What’s clear though is that the plan is just the beginning of the UK’s journey to decarbonising its transport industry.

The UK Government itself has stated that the Transport Decarbonisation Plan is just the start and that it recognises the need for continued efforts and collaboration to deliver on its ambitious commitments, and to reach net-zero emission by 2050.

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