Key Messages

 A plausible, affordable and deliverable integrated ‘track and train’ plan building on current plans which reduces the long-term cost of running the railway.
 An agile plan which can adapt to changes including demand growth.
 A plan of thirds:
- Over one third of the network (38%) is already electrified.
– One third (34%) of the network does not need to be electrified and can be decarbonised now with battery trains with lower life cycle costs.
– The remaining third (28%) of the network needs to be electrified by 2050 to reach net zero. However, half of that (13%) is already in Government plans therefore only 15% additional electrification is needed.
Decarbonise 100% of passenger and 95% of freight by 2050 by sustaining the rate of electrification currently planned.
No need for significant new public funding in the next decade.
A credible approach to reducing cost by breaking the cycle of ‘boom and bust’ in infrastructure and rolling stock.
A cross industry collaboration to further develop the plan for the ‘guiding mind’ (i.e. Great British Railways) to implement.

Key Recommendations
Urgently convert current and expected GB^▸ (Great Britain) rolling stock opportunities identified by DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) into orders to address current order book gap.
To the extent they are not included in Recommendation 1.1, urgently consider the balance of the approximately 1100 sub-100mph Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit)) which will be 35 years old by 2030 and replace them with Battery Electric Multiple Units (BEMUs). This action alone will decarbonise 34% of the GB network.
Empower a cross industry group to further develop and test the RIA strategy and confirm the minimum additional electrification to deliver net zero for passengers and freight by 2050. This ‘rail-plan’ should be published to provide clarity to railway planners and investors.
 Given their value as an interim carbon reduction measure, it is recommended DfT reconsider the policy that rail should not be prioritised for the use of alternative fuels and consider a subsidy to achieve cost parity with diesel fuel.
The rail reform process should create a role for Great British Railways to consider the long-term rolling stock needs of the network and the sustainability of the supply chain, creating a strategy, including for example framework orders, with the objective to intelligently smooth the pipeline.
Empower GBRTT to work with industry to prepare and GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) to deliver a strategy which will:
● Deliver a lower cost, higher performing, net zero railway for passenger and freight by 2050 (Section 3.5 and Recommendation 2)
● Adopt an agile approach to track and train system thinking to intelligently smooth fleet in response to demand growth
● Adopt a portfolio rather than project by project approach.
● Balance when making decisions:
– Cumulative carbon reduction and air quality improvement for the earliest possible environmental and health benefits (Section 3.7), facilitated by interim solutions including, but not limited to, alternative fuels and rolling stock cascade.
– A whole system / whole life TOTEX evaluation (Section 3.9)
– Wider economic and social benefits including the sustainability of the supply chain and the potential to use private finance to improve affordability.

06:18 Yeovil Pen Mill to Filton Abbey Wood due 08:29 (not calling at Frome)
06:38 Weymouth to Gloucester due 10:02  (not calling at Frome)
06:50 Westbury to Weymouth due 08:23  (not calling at Frome)
07:25 Westbury to Frome due 07:34 (additional service)
07:33 Weymouth to Gloucester due 10:56  (not calling at Frome)
07:44 Frome to Westbury due 07:55  (additional service)
08:03 Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth due 10:32  (not calling at Frome)
Additional services as below
08:25 Westbury to Frome due 08:34
08:25 Westbury to Frome due 08:34
08:52 Frome to Westbury due 09:03
08:52 Frome to Westbury due 08:59
09:15 Westbury to Frome due 09:24
09:15 Westbury to Frome due 09:24
09:30 Frome to Westbury due 09:41
09:30 Frome to Westbury due 09:37

  Network Rail has announced a recovery plan for the Reading-London Paddington route after months of poor performance.
It made national headlines when broken wires left 4,000 passengers stranded on trains for four hours at night, near Ladbroke Grove, on 7 December.
Most passengers had to walk along the tracks to reach safety. There have also been a spate of failures, including broken rails and signalling faults.
The route is now set to be overhauled in three phases over 18 months.

For the next four weeks, there will be fewer trains late at night, while engineers carry out remedial work to the tracks, signalling and overhead wires.
For the last couple of hours each evening, only two of the four tracks will be open.
A six month period of work to stabilise performance, will follow, then a year-long programme to put long-term solutions in place.
Beyond that, the overhead wires will be replaced in west London. They are 30 years old and were installed when the Heathrow Express began.

  Local authorities are responsible for reimbursing bus operators for journeys made by passengers with a bus pass. The Government funds this reimbursement as part of the main Revenue Support Grant for local authorities. In 2018/19 £879 million was reimbursed to local authorities in England by the Government. Around 75% (£662 million) went to authorities outside London. There were 9.1 million concessionary travel passes (8.2 million older passes and 0.9 million disabled passes) issued across England and 884 million concessionary bus journeys taken. The average reimbursement per pass was £83 per year in England outside London and £184 in London.