The rail industry needs clear direction to tackle issues surrounding air quality and carbon emissions. That was the key conclusion of Richard Cornwell and Jonathan Brown of Ricardo Rail in their presentation to the Golden Spanners conference.
A key distinction must be made between carbon emissions, a global problem, and air quality emissions, which are a local problem related to a variety of pollutants. Air quality issues do not relate solely to internal combustion engines, with some problems coming from electric railways. Lack of knowledge of the distinction leads to fake news and misinformation, which is not a helpful contribution to the wider debate. For rail, air quality is a particular issue because of diesel operation within enclosed spaces such as Birmingham New Street station; on open track the air quality challenge diminishes.
The prime method of decarbonising remains to cease burning fuel and electrify as many lines as possible. The improvement in carbon intensity gained by switching from diesel to electric traction has accelerated over the last decade as the power industry’s grid mix has moved away from coal-fired power stations.
So how do you bridge the gap to electrification? Reducing the…
