UK Shifts Gears: Hydrogen by Rail and Zero‑Emission Fleets Drive Net‑Zero Transport

Welcome to Net Zero News, your daily briefing on the UK’s transition to a low‑carbon future.

The UK transport sector continues to accelerate its transition toward net‑zero. In the latest milestone, hydrogen was transported by rail for the first time as part of a trial involving Network Rail, Freightliner and GeoPura. Containers of pressurised hydrogen travelled from Doncaster to the Tuxford Test Tracks adjacent to the HyMarnham Power plant. The trial – backed by the first Hydrogen Allocation Round – paves the way for rail to serve as a “rolling pipeline” for hydrogen distribution across the country, potentially transforming existing routes into strategic energy corridors.

Meanwhile, street-level progress continues too: over 2,000 zero‑emission buses That marks roughly 20% of the capital’s fleet, up from just 30 electric buses in 2016. With a goal to transition to an entirely zero‑emission bus fleet by 2030, this shift is projected to prevent about five million tonnes of carbon emissions over the next two decades. As of 2021, all new buses added to the fleet are zero‑emission, and all others meet or exceed the Euro VI emissions standard.

On a national scale, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reported a 35.5% rise in zero‑emission bus registrations across Britain in 2024, with1,570 electric or hydrogen units** entering service. ZEBs (zero‑emission buses) accounted for 43.9% of single and double‑decker registrations, and the overall bus market for Britain exceeded all other European markets for the year. Adding to momentum, the ZEBRA scheme Zero Emission Bus Regional Area has entered its second funding phase, prompting more orders and deliveries to follow. Policy frameworks are also advancing. The Zemo Partnership has released its “Decarbonising UK Road Transport: Map of Missing Policies” report, emerging from its Delivery Roadmap initiative supported by the European Climate Foundation. The report outlines the critical policy interventions required across buses, coaches, passenger cars, vans and commercial vehicles to deliver the net‑zero transition. The findings were presented at a Parliamentary roundtable in Westminster, where cross‑party MPs and Lords discussed these structured policy proposals.

What This Means:

The UK is delivering real progress on low‑carbon transport across multiple fronts. The hydrogen rail trial demonstrates innovative thinking leveraging existing infrastructure to facilitate hydrogen distribution. The growth in zero‑emission bus fleets from TfL’s capital milestone to the nationwide surge in ZEB uptake signals deepening practitioner confidence and accelerated rollout, helped by funding mechanisms like ZEBRA. Meanwhile, strategic policy planning from Zemo provides direction to unlock inertia and fill gaps in road transport decarbonisation.

Together, these advances in technology, deployment and governance suggest the UK is gaining momentum as evidenced by expanding service scale, and emerging frameworks to sustain it. Sustained coordination between industry, policymakers and local authorities remains crucial to ensure this trajectory continues toward the 2030 and 2050 goals.

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