CREATING THE CLIMATE FOR CHANGE

RMTnews :: march 2006 :: www.rmt.org.uk C limate change is one of the most important issues facing humanity. In 2004 the government set itself the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5 per cent below 1990 levels by 2010. Targets on carbon emissions reductions are even more challenging – 20 per cent and 60 per cent reductions below the 1990 level by 2010 and 2050 respectively. Whilst the 12.5 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions will be met, the government is now less confident that the carbon emissions targets will be delivered. Domestic transport accounts for around 25 per cent of UK carbon emissions and are predicted to rise by a further 10 per cent by 2010. Rail remains a less polluting form of transport than cars, lorries and aircraft. In 2004 the Department for Transport found that on a journey between Edinburgh and London, car and air produced six and eight respectively times the level of CO2 emissions than produced by rail. HIGH SPEED RAIL LINK Britain remains one of the last Western European countries to develop dedicated high speed rail routes. Instead successive governments have overseen an explosion in environmentally damaging short-haul flights. A recent Institute of Civil Engineers report The Missing Link – a report on high speed rail links in the UK – outlines the case for a new high speed rail link between London and Scotland. Journey times to Manchester could be cut to 90 minutes, with even greater benefits on longer distances to Newcastle and Glasgow. A new link would enable rolling stock to run at 155 mph with 220 trains per day compared to a potential 98 additional trains per day following the West Coast Main Line modernisation project. A new high speed would attract new users onto rail, ease congestion, free up space for rail freight, reduce carbon emissions and provide an attractive alternative to domestic air travel. CREATING THE CLIMATE FOR CHANGE CARBON EMISSIONS MEASURED BY SOURCE CATEGORY Mode of Transport Million tonnes Per cent of all UK of carbon carbon emissions Passenger cars 19.8 13 Light duty vehicles 4.4 3 Buses 1.0 1 HGVs 7.2 5 Mopeds & Motorcycles 0.1 0 Railways 0.3 0 Civil aircraft 0.6 0 Shipping 0.9 1 All domestic transport 34.4 23 Early Day Motion 1678 ENVIRONMENTAL CASE FOR RAIL John McDonnell MP That this House notes that transport accounts for more than a third of total UK carbon dioxide emissions; is concerned that carbon dioxide emissions from transport are predicted to rise by almost 10 per cent. between 2000 and 2010; supports an integrated transport system in which different transport modes complement rather than compete with each other; further notes that the railways produce substantially less carbon dioxide emissions than cars, road freight or aviation; and therefore urges the Government to ensure that the protection and expansion of the rail network is central to its policy of reducing carbon emissions. CARBON EMISSIONS MEASURED BY END USER CATEGORY Mode of Transport Million tonnes Per cent of all UK of carbon carbon emissions Road Transport 38.3 25 Railways 1.5 1 Civil aircraft 0.7 - Shipping 1.1 1 All domestic transport 41.6 27 RAIL FREIGHT Research by the Freight on Rail campaign indicates that an average freight train can replace 50 HGVs and an average aggregates train up to 120 HGVs. However, in 2003 the DfT announced that the freight facilities grant in England was to be frozen. Thankfully, the Scottish Executive continues to award such grants, which remove over 1.5 million lorry miles from Scotland’s roads each year. RMT continues to lobby for the reintroduction of the grants in England. ROAD USER CHARGING The government seems committed to introducing road user charging schemes, which would require enhanced capacity on the rail network. Recent parliamentary answers suggest that congestion charging schemes could cut road congestion by up to 40 per cent, with many car users switching to public transport. The rail network already carries more passengers than at since the 1950s and is in need of overhaul. However, the scale of transfer to rail envisaged by government would leave the network unable to cope unless significant extra capacity was developed. A failure to plan for increased rail capacity will result in road users remaining in their cars and contribute little to the reduction of harmful carbon emissions. SEMINAR The RMT parliamentary group has secured the agreement of government departments to participate in a seminar later this year on the sustainable case for rail. This will enable the union to make the case directly to the government for an expansion of rail services to secure an environmentally sustainable future. www.rmt.org.uk :: march 2006 :: RMTnews 13 Picture: Stefano Cagnoni, reportdigital