HSR and Carbon Emissions

A key element of the case for HSR is that it is more environmentally sustainable than other modes of transport. Under the 2008 Climate Change Act legally binding targets mean the UK needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050.

Key Points

1. HSR can deliver mode shift from carbon-intensive car and air travel by dramatically speeding up journey times for medium– and long-distance journeys.
2. Travel by HSR produces only one-third of the carbon emissions of car travel and one-quarter the emissions of an equivalent trip by air, taking into account the average loadings typically achieved on each mode.
3. In the future, the carbon advantage of HSR will be as great if not better, given that it operates on electric traction and will therefore benefit from future decarbonisation of the electricity supply. This is true even if we switch to electric cars and if aviation becomes considerably more efficient.
4. Operating trains at speeds of 300 km/h and above increases energy consumption and hence carbon emissions compared with conventional speed rail services, but this is offset by aerodynamic design, high train capacity and high load factors.
5. A national HSR network is forecast to reduce CO2 emissions by one million tonnes each year by 2055. Much of this saving is generated by a shift of passengers from air travel to HSR.
6. A first HSR line, such as the line from London to West Midlands proposed by the Government, will have lower carbon savings because of the lower initial shift of passengers from car to air, with a central estimate of 5 million tonnes of CO₂ over 60 years.
7. There will also be carbon emissions from the construction of any HSR line, estimated at between 0.3 and 2.1 million tonnes of carbon for a London – West Midlands route.

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