POWERTRAIN
from the ground up, the cavities will likely take up passenger space which pays revenue. The same applies for freight since the ‘profit is in the last wagon’. “Lots of things are technically possible but not necessarily commercially viable,” she said. The panellists agreed that cost is a
problem for electrification since the wires will need to be paid up front, however, looking at them over the lifecycle is a cheaper way to run a railway. Clark, who also argued that
electrification and hybrid fuels would form a big part of the solution, said: “We need some really sensible transport strategy over the medium and long term and this needs to be integrated with other transport policy, and not exist in isolation.” David Clarke, Technical Director
of the Railway Industry Association, said policy and strategy that supports a net zero journey, stating that the
industry needed to see strategy, decisions and commitment from the government. “It is essential that suppliers who
come up with carbon reduction initiatives are supported rather than penalised, that isn’t the case at the moment,” he concluded. ●
Spotlight on rail electrification
The UK is part way through its commitment to electrifying 162.5km (101 miles) of railway track between 2022-2025. However this is just 12% of the 448km of track experts estimate is needed over that time to be in line with net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Sadly, the current move towards electrification is ‘sluggish’ at best but panellists agreed that this transition offers considerable potential in the journey to decarbonisation. Just over 1/3 of the network, currently 38%, is currently electrified, but as Maggie Simpson explained, electrifying the most used stretches of track would deliver considerable dividends. She said: “If the most used 800 miles of track were electrified, 95% of freight vehicles would be under the rails.” She also argues that this electrification of passenger trains is something the government could promote since it would significantly improve performance with the ‘sparks effect’ – greater acceleration leading to better adherence to timetables.
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