From the Board: Mathew Taylor on climate action and the future of light rail for World Environment Day

World Environment Day 2026 marks the launch of UKTram's new From the Board series, offering insight from the people helping to shape the future of light rail across the UK and Ireland. 

For the first edition, we caught up with UKTram Board member Mathew Taylor. With more than 30 years' experience across transport infrastructure, and a long-standing focus on light rail, very light rail and sustainable project delivery, Mat brings a unique perspective on the role transport can play in creating more connected and environmentally responsible communities.

As conversations around climate action, urban growth and integrated transport continue to develop, Mat shares his thoughts on the importance of long-term thinking, flexible transport solutions and the opportunities light rail presents for future generations. 

1) Light rail is increasingly part of conversations around sustainable cities and long-term transport planning. From your perspective, what role do light rail and very light rail play in creating more environmentally resilient urban networks?  

Mat: At the end of the day, people want travel to be easy and reliable. If public transport is convenient, they’ll use it. But if it involves a long walk to get there, a lot of people will still choose or have to use the car, especially when the weather is bad. 

That’s why public transport must reach into communities. Outside cities and larger towns, that often means lighter-touch options like buses, very light rail, trams or tram-trains that link people into the main rail network. Those feeder services are what make longer journeys work.

Resilience is a big part of that. Rail-based systems give people confidence because they feel permanent and dependable, and that can encourage longer-term choices that are better for the environment. For me, the challenge is making sure we design transport that is both resilient and right for the places it serves. If people are given a genuinely good public transport option, many will choose the greener one. 

2) Your work often looks at whole-life cost and long-term value. Why is it important that sustainability discussions go beyond just “green” technology and consider how systems perform over decades?

The simple truth is that everything has an environmental impact, so we need to reduce it wherever we can. To do that properly, we have to look at the whole life of what we build, even when something is labelled ‘green’. It’s about thinking through the impact from the earliest design stage all the way through to end-of-life recycling. 

The same thinking should apply to all transport projects. If components need replacing every five or ten years, we should be asking whether a longer-lasting option would make more sense, even if it costs more upfront. That’s really what whole-life costing is about. 

Too often, projects are pushed by short-term pressure to build quickly, and that can reduce long-term value. In transport, we should be listening to the old adage of ‘build once and build well’! 

3) There’s growing pressure on towns and cities to improve connectivity while also reducing emissions and congestion. Do you think perceptions around light rail and affordability are starting to change? 

I do think we’re at the right moment to raise the profile of very light rail and actually start delivering it. In the UK, tram schemes can look expensive because all sorts of wider improvements get bundled into the project. Very light rail offers a quicker, more affordable way to bring in rail-based transport.

Rising costs can easily put councils and regional authorities off tram projects. That’s why it matters to separate the cost of the transport system itself from the extra urban improvements, so decisions are based on the real cost of delivering a working light rail network. Organisations like UK Tram are working on this cost separation and understanding the real or essential cost of building a tram scheme.

Most people would rather have an affordable, reliable tram service sooner than wait years for a more expensive scheme with every stop having to give a ‘sense of place’ from day one. I think we should get the system running first, then improve the surroundings over time.

4) You’ve spoken previously about the importance of different rail modes working together, from tram-train to very light rail. How important is flexibility when designing future transport systems? 

Over the past few years, I’ve worked with experienced transport professionals on Network Rail’s Mixed Use Rail initiative. What this exciting work has shown is that, when you focus on passenger demand and the opportunities along a route, different forms of mass transit can work really well together.

As an example of where this can benefit, there are currently disused rail corridors where the surrounding populations have increased significantly, and the route is perfect for providing these towns with mass transit again. But because people making the decisions are not always fully aware of the options available, those routes often stay closed. Very light rail could be a good fit in many such cases but concerns about capacity and budgets not being considered as suitable for the perceived Heavy Rail solution means that nothing gets built.

What the MUR initiative has really shown is that other modes can be both successful and affordable. A flexible approach might mean opening a transport route using very light rail and later move to tram or tram-train if demand grows. If that’s planned from the start, the infrastructure can be designed so that future upgrade happens with minimal cost and change.

That’s why flexibility matters so much, and not just flexibility of vehicle type. Planners and developers need to be flexible and keep options open when designing towns, villages and estates with future transport needs in mind. In other countries, it’s common to protect corridors so roads can later become metro routes, and I think we should expect that kind of thinking from planners and developers here as well.

The Mixed-Use Railway (MUR) initiative, which launched its resource hub last month, explores how different forms of rail and mass transit can work together to deliver flexible and sustainable transport solutions for communities across the UK. Find out more about the initiative here.

5) World Environment Day often focuses on the small changes that collectively create long-term impact. In transport, what do you think are some of the most important practical shifts the sector can make over the next decade?

 I think every partly or fully publicly funded transport project should be properly reviewed and audited, with the results made public. This would help the sector to learn what worked, what didn’t, and how to deliver better, cheaper public transport schemes in the places that need it most.

This would benefit project promoters, owners, operators, maintainers, passengers and most importantly benefit our invaluable environment by enabling people to leave their cars at home. 

There is no doubt that the transport sector must strive to balance growing demand with environmental responsibility and Mathew's reflections highlight the importance of taking a long-term view, one that considers how we move people today and how we create for the future.

UKTram would like to thank Mat for taking part in the first edition of From the Board. Keep an eye on the UKTram website and LinkedIn channels for future conversations with Board members as we continue to explore the opportunities and innovations shaping the sector.