A greener future through a greener railway

Taxing travel tickets in line with the carbon output of the mode of transport is the answer to making travel greener and to boosting rail passenger numbers.

That’s according to former Transport Minister Norman Baker, now at the Campaign for Better Transport.

Asked what he would do if he had the influence to change Treasury policy, Baker replied: “I would have a carbon tax.

“For transport, you should pay according to carbon emissions. You force up the cost of aviation, you force up the cost of petrol, and you force down the cost of low-carbon measures.

“You then tell everyone what the tax is for their journey, so they know how much they are using on a particular journey.”

Baker said he would like to “go further by introducing a carbon budget for every individual in the nation”.

This would involve different tiers of taxation - a third for public sector, a third for businesses, and another for the public at large.

“You get a carbon allowance, and if you exceed it you have to buy it from somebody else. Or you can sell your allowance to someone else,” he said.