Rail travel is more carbon-efficient than previously thought, according to a rail industry group that has commissioned a new tool for calculating emissions.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), an association of train companies and the national rail company that works to coordinate Britain’s railways, has commissioned the development of the tool so that they can properly measure their carbon footprint.
Developed by Thrust Carbon, a sustainability intelligence platform, the calculator uses seven sets of data—including engine and fuel type, occupancy and vehicle layout, and exact trip distance—to measure the footprint more accurately.
“The more accurate the data, the better decisions can be made,” says Kate Brennan, founder and chief product officer at Thrust Carbon, who led the project.
Previously, the calculation was based on the UK government’s annual ‘Company Reporting Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors’ data which involves a simple calculation – total energy consumed by the national rail network divided by total reported passenger kilometres.
On the electrified rail route from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley station, figures showed emissions per passenger were 24 kg/CO2e, where CO2e is a measure used to show the total greenhouse gas emitted as CO2e.
The first result from RDG’s new carbon calculator confirms that this figure is actually 12.5 kg/CO2e – almost half the previous estimate, 10 times less carbon than car travel or 13 times less than an equivalent trip.
The new calculations are part of the rail industry’s green travel pledge which aims to make travel sustainability information more visible so travelers can make informed choices between transportation options such as the plane and car. This calculator will also enable companies to measure carbon emissions from rail travel more effectively.
“We want to enable businesses to make greener travel choices,” said Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of RDG, which plans to carry out detailed carbon calculations for rail routes across Britain by the end of the year.
Fuel use is a key factor, Brennan said, but there are also operational efficiencies to consider: “So if a train is running but it’s completely empty, and you’re splitting your emissions on a particular train, you could probably have lower ticket prices to encourage more people to get on those.” trains.”
He hopes greater transparency with carbon emissions will add an element of healthy competition between rail operators that use the same train line: “This is good because it encourages rail operators to invest in their trains, to get newer and more energy-efficient trains, and to put pressure on government to electrify more lines for the same reasons.”
The latest statistics from the Office of Rail and Roads show that from 2021 to 2022 Great Britain was electrified for just two kilometers of track. “HM Treasury has basically siphoned off electricity,” said Richard Hebditch, UK director at Transport & Environment, an organization that campaigns for cleaner transport across Europe. “This new research from Thrust Carbon shows how electrified roads are much better for carbon savings, so it should be common sense for the government to have a tiered program to electrify the rail network.”
“It’s basically stupid to have so many diesel-only roads, old, polluting trains scurrying around the system,” said Hebditch, who called the discrepancy between the old and new data “dramatic.” He explains that the new calculator will not only display the variance of CO2 emissions between different rail routes, but it will be possible to get a more accurate comparison between aviation and rail as well.
“This should be an incentive to better understand what’s on the rail and to show that train travel is really good for a lower carbon footprint,” Hebditch said. This makes the clear case for the environmental benefits of supporting it. Hopefully more (trains) can be electrified, roads can be decarbonized and we might see newer trains with renewable fracturing that puts energy back into the system.”
Clive Wharton, CEO of the Business Travel Association, said: “We’ve heard loud and clear from our members and the business travel community that consistency in carbon measurement is imperative. This initiative from RDG on behalf of the entire rail industry has the potential to provide clarity and a strong green message to all parts of travel. commercial”.
Once rail carbon information is displayed at points of sale, Brennan said, booking sustainable travel will be easier, especially when comparisons of rail and trekking trips are included. “All of our tools aim to make sustainability easy,” he added.
Plane or train?
The journey from Edinburgh to London, say on Monday 3 July, will start by train at £59, according to the Trainline website. It will take just over four hours and 40 minutes and, according to Thrust Carbon, will emit around 12.5kg of carbon dioxide per passenger.
A same day Edinburgh to London Gatwick plane ticket will start from £65 (easyJet via Obudu) and take 1.15 hours (although this does not include waiting times after check-in). It will emit about 131 kg of carbon dioxide.
