'Big shift' to rail urged for UK

[Metroland]

The UK needs a "modal shift" from road to rail if greenhouse gas emissions from transport are to be curbed, a report concludes.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) says changes are needed to government policies on transport pricing, energy and town planning.

A train journey can produce about one tenth of the carbon emissions generated if the same trip is made by air.

The report's authors say substantial investment in the railways is needed.

"We have ambitious government targets for transport emissions, but transport emissions are static," said Cliff Perry, vice president of IMechE's Railway Division and a former head of Thameslink under British Rail.

"Eighty-five percent of transport emissions come from roads, so if we are serious about doing something, we must hit road transport."

Learning Japanese

Comparing emissions between various forms of transport is not a straightforward matter, as factors such as the efficiency of engines, the number of people on board and, for electric trains, how the electricity was generated all affect the final equation.

IMechE calculates that on average London to Paris trips, people travelling by car generate two and a half times more CO2 than those relaxing in a train, while an air passenger produces 10 times more.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7277757.stm

 

[CosherB]

Anyone with more than one braincell knows we should be making better use of rail to encorage reduced road use, and if Gordon Brown's government were in the least bit serious over green issues and global warming that's where we'd be headed.

But what do we see? A lower percentage of electrified railway than any other european country, with no plans to extend it. :roll:

Just 70 miles of high speed railway, just enough to link London to the european high speed network. NO plans for any of the rest of UK to have high speed rail. :roll:

Gordon Brown's government intent on drasatically CUTTING spending on rail in the coming years, leading to higher fares, worse services, so less rail usage. They won't even consider re-negotiating Virgin's franchise to make it worthwhile for that TOC to invest in extra coaches for the now-full Pendelinos. :roll:

UK government is just not serious about green issues! They use it as an excuse to raise taxation, while actually doing harm to the greenest form of transport we have! :roll:

CS

 

[Mojo]

In Transport Questions today, some bits to do with what some people have been talking about in this thread. What a load of old rubbish from the Government, yet again!

Mr. Gordon Prentice (Pendle) (Lab): The chief executive of Network Rail predicts that capacity on inter-city routes will run out by 2015, yet the Government have told us that they are not going to make any decision on new high-speed rail lines until 2012. Given that it takes a decade to plan high-speed trains, why are the Government being so leisurely?

Mr. Harris: I am rarely accused of being leisurely. I have to tell my hon. Friend that in terms of predictions for growth on the railways, the figures in the 2007 rail White Paper, to which I have just referred, are robust. Network Rail has signed up to them in the past. There may well be a case for new high-speed lines—certainly for increased physical capacity—on many of our major railway routes at the beginning of the next decade, starting in 2020. However, I do not believe that such decisions should, or have to, be taken earlier than 2012, which year will see the publication of the high level output specification phase 2.

Mark Hunter (Cheadle) (LD): The Secretary of State will no doubt be as pleased as the rest of us that figures show that more and more people are choosing to use trains. However, given the Government’s decision to block extra carriages on the west coast main line, does she have a message for the thousands of people who regularly have to stand on that route, simply because they cannot get a seat?

Mr. Harris: The hon. Gentleman is incorrect in saying that the Government have attempted to block increased capacity on the west coast main line. The Government have told Virgin Trains that it will not be given an opportunity to re-bid for the franchise without any competitive tendering; otherwise the situation would not be competitive, so I hope that that will be supported by the whole House. However, we have said that we remain committed to extending the Pendolinos by two carriages at some point at the very beginning of the next franchise.

Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe and Nantwich) (Lab): It is refreshing that the Government are prepared to spend so much money on extending capacity, but the reality is that the numbers of extra rolling stock and carriages are not high enough to deal with the problems in connection with the extra numbers of people wanting to use the system. We will have to take decisions rapidly about high-speed lines. Will the Minister not just accept that the issue is not for the next Parliament, but for this one?

Mr. Harris: What I do not accept is that high-speed lines are some kind of panacea, or that in committing ourselves to building such lines we will suddenly eradicate all the capacity challenges that we face. My hon. Friend is right, of course, that 1,300 carriages will go some way towards alleviating capacity pressures in the next five or six years. The Government will always intend, where possible, to increase the capacity available to passengers. However, let me remind my hon. Friend and the House that the 1,300 carriages are the biggest step change in capacity that the rail industry has seen for decades. They represent a level of financial commitment that no other party has seen fit to equal.

 

[richa2002]

As much as jumping on the global warming bandwagon is not good, if it gets more lorries off the roads then I'm all for it...

 

[Metroland]

I just don't think it's a clever idea getting oil from the Middle east and gas from Russia, it's not only making them rather rich, but they are quite prepared to use energy as a weapon.

We need to cut back on their use. Lot more walking, lot more cycling, lot more public transport IMHO.

 

[Dennis]

.....However, let me remind my hon. Friend and the House that the 1,300 carriages are the biggest step change in capacity that the rail industry has seen for decades. They represent a level of financial commitment that no other party has seen fit to equal.

What a load of ballcocks they do talk.

1300 carriages to replace some life expired ones and add a few extra that will not cope with rising demand. And remind me, who's actually financing these?

 

[David Sinnett]

How many of those 1300 carriages are new ones? And when are they going to be ordered?
I understand theyre just doing a reshuffle so how does that reduce congestion?
And what about more capacity on the rails rather than in the trains?

Someone needs to take control away from the government!

David

 

[Nym]

I just don't think it's a clever idea getting oil from the Middle east and gas from Russia, it's not only making them rather rich, but they are quite prepared to use energy as a weapon.

We need to cut back on their use. Lot more walking, lot more cycling, lot more public transport IMHO.

Well a good 71% of our power generation industry relies on Oil and Gas

37% of this country's electricity is generated from GAS! and 32% from coal, the,, and 2% from oil...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

How many of those 1300 carriages are new ones? And when are they going to be ordered?
I understand theyre just doing a reshuffle so how does that reduce congestion?
And what about more capacity on the rails rather than in the trains?

Someone needs to take control away from the government!

David

Because politics and business school students are running transport, not transport planners and engineers...