Up to 20 Mtonne (million tonnes) of CO2 emissions from freight - some 7% of the total emissions from road and rail freight - could be reduced through full use of main rail corridors and the primary rail network in 2020, a new study examining the potential modal shift from road to rail has concluded.

The study, “Potential of modal shift to rail transport - Study on the projected effects on GHG emissions and transport volumes” was commissioned by the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) and UIC to consider the potential levels of modal shift to rail, and in particular the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction savings that could result. It was undertaken by the consultancies CE Delft (Netherlands) and TRT (Italy).

The study gives important detail on how modal shift to rail can help reach the targets outlined in the European Commission’s recent Transport White Paper*. An assessment of the available infrastructure capacity shows that through maximising use of existing infrastructure alone, a 30-40% growth in train-kilometres in 2020 could be accommodated. If this increased capacity was allocated equally to freight and passenger services, rail freight traffic could grow by 83% and passenger transport by 23% over the whole network.

The report says there is particular scope for rail freight to increase its market share in certain segments such as international containerised transport, with the feasibility of growth already clearly demonstrated in countries such as Switzerland, and at the port of Rotterdam where levels of modal split that include the doubling of rail traffic have been set for hinterland container traffic.

For passenger transport, the GHG reduction potential is less clear-cut, although the maximum modal shift calculated has been a reduction of 70 Mtonne CO2-eq. in the EU-27 (9% of passenger transport emissions).

The study also considered the implications of the ‘2050 vision’ of transport Commissioner Siim Kallas, outlined in Berlin in 2010. Under his proposals, rail would be the dominant mode for long-distance transport (corresponding to a 38% modal share for total freight transport and a 27% share in passenger transport).

If implemented, this would result in an annual GHG reduction of 238 Mtonne of CO2-eq., or 21% of total transport emissions. While this would require heavy investment in rail infrastructure (EUR 1,300-2,000 billion), full internalisation of external and infrastructure costs could contribute significantly to the funding of this, the report adds.

UIC Director General Jean-Pierre Loubinoux said: “This report provides clear evidence that attracting freight and passenger traffic onto rail can significantly reduce CO2 emissions from transport. Modal shift to rail has other benefits too, such as reduced traffic congestion, better air quality and fewer accidents. To make this happen there should also be a greater degree of complementarity between different transport modes, so that rail can become the backbone of a truly sustainable transport system.”

CER Executive Director Johannes Ludewig said: “The transport sector is responsible for around one-quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions, and it is widely accepted that firm action is therefore essential to meet overall EU GHG reduction targets. The results of the study confirm our belief that modal shift to rail can play an important role in ensuring that the goals set by the Commission’s Transport White Paper are achieved, and we now need to see the necessary tools and funding put in place to ensure that this can happen. We hope that EU decision makers will take these important points into account when re-starting the discussions on how to achieve a sustainable European transport system in September.”

* The Transport White Paper outlined the need for a modal shift from road to rail and inland waterways, calling for 30% of road freight over 300km to shift to rail or inland waterways by 2030, rising to 50% by 2050. Moreover, the White Paper outlines the need to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) from transport by at least 60% by 2050 compared to their 1990 levels.

The SUSTRAIL project “The sustainable freight railway: designing the freight vehicle – track system for higher delivered tonnage with improved availability at reduced cost”, a consortium project partially funded by the EC, officially started in June 2011 with the kick-off meeting organised on 14-15 June at Milan Polytechnic University’s Department of Mechanics, where Professor Stefano Bruni welcomed the representatives of the 29 project partners.

A sustainable and efficient freight transport in Europe plays a vital role in having a successful and competitive economy. Freight transport is expected to grow by some 50% (in tonne-kilometres) by 2020. However rail has, in many areas, been displaced from a dominant position as road transport services have grown and developed in capability and levels of sophistication that have not been matched by rail service providers.

The SUSTRAIL project aims to contribute to a new era of increased competitiveness of the rail freight sector by adopting a holistic approach, implementing a clear methodology and viable procedures for a combined improvement in both freight vehicles and track components. This deliberate approach has been conceived and will be developed to achieve innovations in both vehicles and rail infrastructures. New design (including aerodynamics) models and novel lightweight materials with a targeted increased in speed and axle-load will be implemented for freight vehicles, as well as optimised geometry, ground stabilisation and novel monitoring techniques will be adopted for higher reliability and reduced maintenance of the track components. The benefit will be an increased performance of the whole rail freight system (vehicle plus track), which will be assessed and quantified through the implementation of appropriate life cycle and costs analyses. Finally, business cases will be produced to demonstrate that the contributions, solutions and innovations that SUSTRAIL aims to introduce in the railway sector are viable on real routes.

It is UIC’s aim in SUSTRAIL to support with relevant railway information and with recent knowledge from ongoing and recently completed R&D projects. UIC is responsible in the SUSTRAIL project for Dissemination and Exploitation activities and, as such, looks forward to transform many project deliverables into public practical results for the benefit of their members.

On 1 July the Board of Directors of the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), the rail research branch of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) located in Pueblo, Colorado, elected Lisa Stabler as TTCI’s new President, effective from 7 October 2011. Lisa Stabler will succeed Roy Allen, who will retire this October.

TTCI, a wholly owned subsidiary of the AAR, is a world-class transportation research and testing organisation, providing emerging technology solutions for the railway industry throughout America and the world.

Headquartered near Pueblo, Colorado, TTCI manages extensive track facilities, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, and a highly talented engineering and support staff to make TTCI the obvious choice for meeting research and testing needs

Source: www.aar.com

On 20 June, UIC received a delegation from the German Bundestag (parliament) Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Urban Development.

The meeting, attended by around a dozen representatives from the Bundestag, Deutsche Bahn, the German Embassy in Paris and UIC Director-General Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, gave participants the opportunity to discuss a number of topics in an informal and pleasant atmosphere, such as:

• Noise and the environment
• Security
• High speed development in Europe and around the world
• Emergence of major freight corridors

On 21 June 2011, a team of Korean railway researchers led by Dr JUNG Woo-Sung, head of Eco Railroad Research at KRRI, visited UIC HQ, and exchanged knowledge on state-of-the-art technology and research in the field of railway environment.

Dr LEE Jae-Young, Senior Researcher at KRRI, along with Mr HWANG In-Hwan, Senior Researcher at KRNA, presented on-going research projects applying novel methodologies to calculate the carbon footprint during the course of railway construction and minimise subsequent CO2 emissions.

From UIC, Mr Henning Schwarz, Head of Sustainable Development, Mr Alex Veitch, Senior Advisor, and Mr Paolo Contestabile, Senior Advisor, presented a number of UIC-coordinated European projects including ECO-Passenger, ARISCC and INFRAGUIDER.

During two pre-arranged consecutive meetings, both parties agreed to exchange knowledge on state-of-the-art methodologies and technologies, and promote further collaboration and projects including expert meetings.

UIC Asia appreciates all contributions from speakers and participants, and welcomes the development of regional and inter-regional collaborations.

Since opening on 19 December, the high speed line linking Madrid and Valencia has carried 960,000 passengers in the first six months of operation. The demand for these new high speed services that connect both cities in just over an hour and a half has grown steadily. The number of people now taking the train is almost triple that of a year ago. In addition, this positive response in demand in just six months has led to a reversal of market shares. According to the latest estimates, the AVE service has replaced 55% of journeys made by air as well as 25% and 5% of journeys made by car and bus respectively. Since the beginning of the service a total of 4938 high speed trains have operated between the two cities with a punctuality rate of 98%.

(Source: RENFE)

The 1320-kilometre Beijing-Shanghai high speed rail link was first proposed in 1994. The completion of the 23 billion-Euro line was marked by an inauguration ceremony on 1 July. The link is expected to carry 80 million passengers a year. 90 trains will operate daily in both directions, with the fastest journey time taking 4 hours 48 minutes. In order to increase safety, reduce ticket prices and extend rolling stock life, the trains must run slower than previously announced – no faster than 300 km/h – on the new link, even though they are designed for a maximum speed of 350 km/h. China’s high speed rail network, which spanned 8,358 kilometres at the end of 2010, is expected to exceed 13,000 kilometres by 2012 and to reach 16,000 kilometres by 2020.