Rail freight operators forced to dump electric trains for diesel due to Britain’s energy crisis

Surge in electricity prices reverses climate action ahead of Cop26 summit

Rail freight operators are having to mothball their electric locomotives and switch back to diesel trains, which are slower and cause more pollution, because of the unfolding energy crisis.

The logistics firms say a surge in wholesale energy prices and an increase in the track access charges they pay has made the low-carbon trains uneconomical to operate.