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Growing rail freight: the need for targeted electrification

8 July 2026

  

Electric rail freight can deliver faster services, greater network capacity, lower costs and significant carbon savings – but the UK must act now to maximise the value of existing electrification, according to a new industry report, written by the Railway Industry Association (RIA) in conjunction with the Rail Freight Group and the Railway Engineering Institution (RailEI), with research undertaken by the University of Birmingham. 

A new report, Growing rail freight: the need for targeted electrification, highlights how increasing the use of electric rail freight could deliver immediate benefits for freight customers, passengers and taxpayers.

 

 

In order to understand the feasibility of battery locomotives RIA, RFG and RailEI commissioned the University of Birmingham to undertake a simulation of hypothetical battery and hybrid locomotives operating on real freight routes.

The following report is the outcome of the simulation work: University of Birmingham simulation of key freight routes report 

The RIA, RFG and RailEI steering group reviewed the University of Birmingham report and wrote the following report to summarise their conclusions: Battery Freight Locomotive Feasibility Study - July 2026


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