SNP rail fail as decarbonisation plan still missing

Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has today accused the SNP of ‘perma-delay’ as he revealed that the government have missed their own deadline for publishing a key plan to cut emissions on passenger trains.

In December, the Scottish Government announced that it was pushing back the target date for decarbonising all passenger trains by a decade, from 2035 to 2045.

It said that a refreshed Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan would be published in spring 2025.  A parliamentary question from the Scottish Liberal Democrats, however, reveals that this plan has yet to be published.

Willie Rennie MSP said:

"The SNP cannot even publish their action plan on time, never mind actually reduce pollution from our railways.

“Having already pushed the decarbonisation target back by a decade, it seems the SNP are in a state of perma-delay.

“Modernising passenger trains to make them more environmentally friendly would help to create a better service for passengers and tackle the climate emergency. These delays are, therefore, a blow to both passengers and the planet. They are yet another example of the SNP failing to deliver on the issues that matter.

“A more modern, more reliable and greener rail service works in everyone’s interests. That’s why the government need to stop the delays, finally get serious about cutting emissions and put the work into producing this plan and meeting the target.

“To encourage the use of environmentally friendly methods of transport like rail, Scottish Liberal Democrats would introduce new options for two/ three-day-a-week season tickets, as well as exploring new train lines, especially in areas with poor transport links.”