Climate and the rail industry
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Rail Business UK‘Five firsts’ celebrated at Tuxford as UK rail sector seeks role in hydrogen economy
UK: Network Rail and industry partners held an event at Tuxford in Nottinghamshire on December 3 marking the first use of rail to transport hydrogen on the main line network.
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In depthRolling Stock: Insulation delivers energy savings
Advances in the design of materials used for insulation and HVAC systems on trains can help rail operators to reduce their energy use by up to 20% in real-world conditions. Tom Merton, Technical Manager at Armacell, explains how the company’s range is evolving to cater to the specialist needs of the rail sector.
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NewsSiemens Mobility increases use ‘green steel’ in rolling stock production
EUROPE: Siemens Mobility is working with Voestalpine to increase the share of lower-emission ‘green steel’ it uses in rolling stock production.
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NewsHigh speed line concessionaire appoints Mott MacDonald as asset management and climate adaptation partner
UK: London to the Channel Tunnel high speed line concessionaire London St Pancras Highspeed has appointed Mott MacDonald as sole strategic partner under a three-year Sustainable Asset Management Framework.
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In depthInfrastructure: Embracing nature can enhance rail’s soft resilience
The International Union of Railways is urging more railways to adopt Nature-based Solutions as a means to enhance the resilience of infrastructure in an era when both the natural world and man-made assets are under severe pressure from climate change.
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In depthInfrastructure: Composite sleepers make a comeback
Norfolk Southern is among the US railroads looking afresh at the latest iteration of the composite sleeper. Greg Janson, President of supplier Triton Ties, explains to Nick Kingsley how a combination of recycled plastic and glass fibre material can offer durability and environmental gains compared to using wooden or concrete sleepers.
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Rail Business UKNetwork Rail launches weather learning programme for rail staff
UK: Network Rail and the Chartered Institution of Railway Operators have launched a weather learning programme, which is to strengthen meteorological knowledge among operational and other staff to enable more confident and informed decision-making during adverse weather conditions.
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Rail Business UKCarbon Accounting Framework launched to save the rail industry time and money
UK: The Rail Safety & Standards Board has launched a Rail Carbon Accounting Framework which is designed to standardise carbon measurement and reporting as a step towards enabling the sector to meet its net-zero commitments by 2050.
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Rail Business UKNetwork Rail to improve flooding and coastal risk management planning
UK: Network Rail is working with WSP to create a Flood & Coastal Risk Management Framework which will help standardise the infrastructure manager’s readiness for floods and coastal erosion and increase its knowledge of potential problems across the network.
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Rail Business UKAccelerating research into the effects of weather on rail infrastructure
UK: Network Rail and the Met Office have signed a memorandum of understanding to reduce the time needed to commission research into the effects of weather on the rail network.
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Rail Business UKNetwork Rail trials passive heat exchangers to keep signalling cabinets cool in hot weather
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail is trialling a passive heat exchanger which can lower the temperature in signalling equipment cabinets, reducing the risk of failures during increasingly frequent hot weather events without requiring power, maintenance or internal modifications.
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In depthResilience: Transforming track maintenance in the face of climate change
Network Rail’s Eastern Region is pioneering a range of automated track inspection and monitoring systems, aimed at improving performance and resilience to extreme weather events whilst helping to reduce costs.
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Rail Business UKSoil moisture deficit triggers temporary c2c timetable alterations
UK: South Essex train operator c2c is to temporarily amend its timetable following track problems arising from soil moisture deficit caused by this year’s exceptionally dry weather.
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Rail Business UKHorizon Scanning Service to highlight emerging risks to rail freight
UK: A Horizon Scanning process has been launched to help rail freight companies identify emerging and future risks to the sector, including extreme weather conditions and cyberattacks.
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Rail Business UKLondon – Exeter train services cut because of embankment soil moisture deficit
UK: Ongoing infrastructure problems arising from soil moisture deficit caused by unusually dry weather mean South Western Railway services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids are to be reduced.
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NewsConnecting Europe Facility grants awarded as calls grow to protect EU rail funding
EUROPE: The European Commission has announced nearly €2∙8bn in Connecting Europe Facility grants, with the rail sector being the leading beneficiary. Nevertheless, concerns over the future of CEF and the EU’s wider commitment to rail spending are mounting.
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NewsRail to benefit from €106bn German infrastructure renewal spend by 2029
GERMANY: The federal government has approved the first tranche of rail asset renewal funding as part of a national infrastructure spending drive worth up to €500bn across the economy.
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Metro Report InternationalJapanese expertise to boost Filipino railway efficiency
PHILIPPINES: JICA is supporting a programme to use Japanese expertise to improve the energy efficiency of railway operations in the Philippines.
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NewsOptions to replace diesel traction to be studied
EUROPE: The Association of European Rail Rolling Stock Lessors has begun the second phase of work to develop a roadmap to net zero for train operators.
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NewsRailGreen verifies rail freight emission reductions with biofuels
USA: Norfolk Southern has launched RailGreen, offering freight shippers verified certification of supply chain emissions reduction through the use of biofuels for carbon insetting. Insetting directly reduces emissions by funding sustainable fuel initiatives, in contrast to carbon offsets which reduce emissions outside of a company’s operations, ...