◼ Over 80% of the network electrified by 2050
◼ Minor role for batteries and hydrogen
◼ Business case by end of year
Suggestions in last month’s column that the Network Rail-led Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TDNS) might reflect the Department for Transport’s negative prejudices on electrification have proved wide of the mark. While the outline briefings from TDNS are based on current thinking and are intended to show the ‘direction of travel’, the headline figures confirm the central role of electrification in decarbonisation.
Electrification statistics usually refer to electrified route kilometres, which represent around 40% of the UK network. However, the important parameter in electrification is single track kilometres (stkm). Currently, 15,000 stkm out of 31,000 stkm are electrified, representing 48% of the network.
CAPABILITY
As with the Decarbonisation Task Force study, the TDNS has adopted a ‘horses for courses’ approach based on three options. These are electrification, battery and hydrogen fuel cell traction.
While TDNS prefers to list the three options in alphabetical order, battery, electrification, hydrogen, we don’t do political sensitivity in this column and so Table 1 puts the …
