Last July, MEPs urged the European Union (EU) to set a target of reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the transport sector by 20% by 2020, compared to 1990 levels. The call came after a non-legislative resolution that responded to a European Commission mid-term review of the EU’s transport white paper of 2001. The resolution highlights areas where transport policy should focus and states that shifting transport from road to rail is key to reducing transport’s environmental impact.
The UK Government’s White Paper, ‘Delivering a Sustainable Railway’, published on 24 July this year, identified the need to increase the capacity of the railway as the first critical step to achieving this modal shift.
