Railways are inherently highly energy efficient and have a unique ability to use high-powered electric traction. This makes them a particularly carbon friendly transport mode. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per passenger from a domestic flight are 27 times those of an electric train. Per tonne km, HGV GHG emissions are respectively around 15 and 4 times those of electric and diesel freight trains.
Modal shift to rail can therefore reduce GHG emissions as well as offer other benefits such as reduced in energy use and road congestion. However, a significant shift to rail requires additional rail capacity.
The M6 in the Midlands and the M74 in Scotland carry respectively 16,000 and 6,000 HGV movements per day. Much of this traffic should be carried by rail, yet there is no capacity on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) for it. Powers to construct HS2 phase 2a to provide much needed capacity expire in February, sadly it seems doubtful whether they will be extended.
The WCML is amongst Europe’s busiest mixed traffic railway. Yet its capacity is reduced by mixing 125mph passenger trains with slow diesel freight trains that can barely manage 20mph over Shap and Beattock summits. As shown by our ‘Electrifying Freight’ feature, WCML capacity could be increased by hauling freight trains with electric locomotives which, if they could run at 90mph, would eliminate the timetable conflict between freight and passenger trains.
Although WCML is an electrified railway, most of its freight trains are diesel hauled due to power supply limitations and the lack of end-to-end electric freight routes. In this respect, electrifying the 6km line to London Gateway, which has over 40 trains a day, would support additional WCML electrified freight. Investing around £15 million on this freight infill electrification would benefit both rail freight and passenger businesses.
Achieving the UK’s legally binding commitment to reach net zero GHG by 2050 requires the nation’s transport to be weaned off its annual consumption of 50 million tonnes of petroleum. This is a huge problem as, by weight, batteries have a twentieth of a diesel vehicle’s energy carrying capacity.
As we explain, achieving aviation net zero by 2050 is almost certainly an impossible challenge as proposals in the government’s Jet Zero Strategy (JZS) are not credible. This is because it does not consider the costs or practicalities of its proposals, nor does it follow the recommendations of the independent Climate Change Committee.
The JZS’s proposals such as sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are well publicised, yet JZS accepts that such aircraft carbon reduction measures will only reduce aircraft GHG emissions by 36%. Moreover, fuelling all planes by SAF biofuels could require half the UK’s agricultural land.
It is not generally understood that government policy is that the residual 64% of GHG emissions to be sucked out of the air. As we show, doing this by offsets would require the creation of a forest of trees covering an area of Surrey, Sussex and Kent combined plus Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS) which has not been used anywhere at scale.
Although Government supports the uptake of public transport and active travel, there is little emphasis on modal shift. Furthermore, with the Midland Main Line (MML) electrification ‘paused’ there is little appetite for rail electrification. In contrast the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland have specific policies on modal shift.
Transport Scotland also recognises that electrification offers whole life benefits and so, in the past 15 years, has increased Scotland’s electrified rail mileage from 23% to 40%. Its recently published proposals to replace the aging two thirds of its rolling stock fleet include a long-term aim to electrify lines that carry freight.
Our Railway 200 feature about rail electrification is a tale of both achievements and lost opportunities which explains why the UK only has 38% of its network electrified compared with the European average of 56%. Moreover, UK electrification has been delivered in a highly inefficient manner due to the historic government boom and bust authorisation of electrification schemes.
We conclude another Railway 200 feature on the history of the London Underground following part 1 in Issue 214. This shows how technology, politics, and finance have combined to influence the development of London’s Tube network which continues to stimulate London’s economy.
The engineering challenges of managing cracks and fractures on trains are described by Malcolm Dobell. His informative feature includes consideration of applicable standards, aerospace practice, TfL’s Case for Continued Safe Operation process, freight fleet maintenance, aluminium metallurgy and vibration monitoring.
Challenges faced by signal engineers to improve efficiency and safety while reducing costs are considered by Paul Darlington in his report on the Rail Industry Association (RIA)’s Control, Command and Signalling (CCS) conference, SigEx 2025. This considered cost reductions from the use of Commercial Off The Shelf systems, repetition of standard solutions and the reduction of design and verification costs.
Introducing ETCS on the line to Heathrow cost triple the original estimate. We explain the background and difficulties of this complex project which was the first UK main line ETCS fitment. It is essential that the lessons learnt from this project are shared for future ETCS schemes.
In the 1960s/70s, the introduction of Power Signal Boxes improved train regulation by providing a wide view of train movements. Their 21st century equivalent are Regional Operation Centres (ROCs) which incorporate all rail operational activities into a single building and show train movements on screens to provide an even wider view. Clive Kessell visited the York ROC and explains the huge benefits offered by such ROCs.
We also describe how emerging technology and aspects of main line signalling could be used on trams. This includes the use of Intelligent Obstacle Detection Systems and Smart Driver Advisor Systems to minimise energy consumption.
RIA’s annual conference was certainly topical as the Transport Secretary addressed the event immediately before presenting the Government’s Great British Railways (GBR) Bill to Parliament. We report on how she, and others at the conference, discussed the issues associated with the creation of GBR.
When considering the complexities of railway engineering, it is possible to forget the people who make the railway work. Hence, we are glad to report on the work of the Railway Mission who do much to support rail workers in challenging situations. We also have an article considering how the industry can attract the next generation of engineers.
With the festive season fast approaching, on behalf of all who produce Rail Engineer, I would like to wish our readers a happy and safe Christmas, especially for those working on the railway over the holiday period.
Image credit: David Shirres