Improved public transport to support cleaner air

That this House welcomes initiatives such as Clean Air Day, which this year is on 15 June, and highlights the need to support improvements in air quality and public health; notes that poor air quality exists in the transport sector, arising from a failure to introduce affordable and attractive alternatives to private car use and a continuing reliance on diesel for rail and bus services; welcomes the RMT union’s campaign to improve air quality in the workplace environment, which will benefit the health of communities, passengers and workers, and encourages transport companies to work with the RMT to meet the union’s concerns; further notes that Network Rail has admitted that it is “almost impossible” to achieve its targets to electrify the railway and to reduce reliance diesel trains; believes that the fragmented and privatised nature of much of public transport, alongside cuts to funding, services, jobs and skills, mitigates against a proper and deliverable plan to reduce emissions; and calls on the Government to recognise the vital role of public transport in delivering clean air by investing to deliver a radically expanded and affordable public transport network.