A third of the UK rail network does not need to be electrified to reach net zero, and could instead be decarbonised with battery trains. That is the claim of a new report published last week (11 April) by the Railway Industry Association (RIA), which said an order for a fleet of battery-electric trains “should be accelerated as a matter of priority”.
The rail network is already 38% electrified, and proposed or in-progress government plans will increase that to 51% over the next 10 years or so, according to the RIA. The new strategy identifies a further 15% of routes for electrification – which, combined with 34% battery trains, could decarbonise all passenger services and 95% of freight.
The report is “very thoroughly analysed”, said David Shirres, editor of Rail Engineer, to Professional Engineering. “The issue with discontinuous electrification, which is really why you need battery trains, is whether the line concerned would have any significant freight traffic on it,” he said.
Could battery trains decarbonise a third of the UK rail network? (imeche.org)