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Rail freight would be among the most stubborn challenges to face.
It will prove difficult for rail freight to turn its back on the motive power that has been synonymous with industry for over a century. Due to its versatility, developed sophistication, and the sheer energy density, there is no single alternative to diesel fuel technology. That was the message for delegates at the recent Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Rail Freight Forum.
The UK government advisory body, the committee for climate change, has told their parliamentary colleagues that the economy needs to reduce its annual emissions of 90 million tonnes of carbon dioxide to just 15 million tonnes by 2050, if the UK is to meet its legally-binding targets on climate change.
153 million litres of diesel
Addressing the rail freight forum of the CILT, Jonathan Brown, technical and innovation engagement lead at consultants Ricardo Rail, told his audience that the most difficult sector to decarbonise, and free from diesel power, would be the transport industry. He suggested that rail freight would be among the most stubborn challenges to face.
Even though rail freight is around four times more energy efficient than road transport, argued Brown, the sector still manages to use a staggering 153 million litres of diesel fuel annually. Not that anyone would care to swim through it, that is enough to fill 64 Olympic-sized swimming pools. By comparison, the passenger sector gets through around 200 swimming pools worth of fuel annually.
Emissions and politics
The chemical advantages of diesel are formidable. High energy density makes it difficult to name a replacement, given current technology. Brown says that it will take a suite of solutions, but the big incentives of emissions and politics are equally formidable drivers. “There is unlikely to be a one size fits all solution”, says Brown. “The diesel engine is a remarkably versatile technology.”
Nevertheless, alternatives must be found. Assuming a long-term economic recovery, figures given to the forum noted that even if rail freight’s share was doubled, the country would still need a 30 per cent increase in road capacity, just to keep pace with economic development trends. “The typical intermodal train haul is 1500 tonnes over a distance of 230 miles (368 kilometres)”, says Brown. Read more
Source: RAILFREIGHT.COM
