Transport points from Prof Lesley
From Energy-Experts
Energy and carbon savings with trams
Short paper by Professsor Lewis Lesley www.trampower.co.uk
Transport is an energy intensive activity, heavily dependent on oil (99.97%) and a significant emitter of carbon dioxide (30% of UK total). Exhortation and education can reduce car dependency but in the absence of draconian powers to force people to change travel modes, people will freely choosing sustainable alternatives is surely the best way? Market research and behavioural studies demonstrate that for short journeys, under 2 miles (50% UK car trips) walking and cycling are acceptable options, when there are safe and attractive routes. For longer urban journeys ( < 5 miles = 75% of UK car trips) public transport should be the alternative to car ? In the UK most urban public transport is by bus (80% of trips). Car users however are not willing to use buses. Studies by the US Transportation Research Board shows that on a like for like basis of frequency, travel speed, fares etc, buses attract 40% less car users than even old rail services.
Getting car people to use public transport means rail services. Metros and railways would be ideal but most UK towns and cities do not have suitable lines and constructing new lines needs a lot of embedded energy and is very expensive , eg. the proposed London 6 miles long Crossrail will cost £12bn. A former Secretary General of the International Public Transport Association (UITP) observed that light rail gives 90% of the benefits of a metro at 10% of the cost. The speed at which new tram systems have been opened in the UK over the last 20 years, one every 4 years, means that it will take 150years to catch up with Germany. Promoting and funding new tramways is the subject of another paper but given the public funding available, it would probably be better spent promoting cycling and providing cycle networks, and raising the modal split from 2% to 10%, as has been done in Denmark and Germany.
Compared to buses, tram operating along the same route, at the same maximum speed carrying the same passenger loadings will use less than 25% of the energy, which will be electricity, not oil. Indeed I am working on several projects where new tramways will be powered by renewable generation, therefore in energy terms totally sustainable, and almost carbon emissions free, once the embedded energy to build the trams and track have been depreciated, usually a couple of years of operation. Indeed bus operators with routes having a peak frequency of ten buses or more per hour, could already make financial savings in converting to trams. This excludes any carbon emission considerations, and if the new tram service only carried former bus passengers there would only be the energy ( and carbon) savings of trams compared to buses. The real carbon savings come from diverting urban car trips.
New tram systems in France, have attracted 30% more patronage (all car diverted) than the bus services replaced. This is in line with the earlier US study. Car travel is energy intensive, and for short urban trips highly polluting. By suitable park and ride, as well as walk and ride, about 50% of car trips in the tram corridor will be attracted. Getting urban car trips down from 70% to 50% would save about 5% of UK carbon emissions.
Affordable high speed railways By Professor Lewis Lesley www.lr55-rail-road-system.co.uk
The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution 1994 Report on transport , and for the first time ever a supplementary in 1997, reinforced concerns about pollution, especially from growing private car use. The UK has nearly the lowest level of per capita car ownership but the highest fuel costs and level of car usage in the EU. This paradox reflects both the problem and opportunity. In terms of railway development, the Royal Commission concluded in 1994 that the embedded energy, costs and social disruption of constructing new railways for trains operating at over 200mph was not justified.
In the UK only about 3% of all passenger journeys are more than 30miles long but account for some 20% of passenger miles. 70% of all rail journeys are London based. Outside London rail is a trivial carrier of local journeys, eg. 2% on Merseyside. Thus railways presently serve two markets, commuting and local travel in London, and inter urban travel, where rail has about 20% of the market, with 75% by road and 5% (but growing) by air. As the Channel Tunnel High Speed link demonstrates, most of the cost and disruption is in building a dedicated line within London. The 90mile CTHSL is costing about £4bn. In comparison the new 200mile high speed (TGV) line between Paris and Strasbourg is costing only £2bn. Part of this economy is achieved by using existing tracks in cities, with new tracks between cities. The first TGV between Paris and Lyon, attracted passengers from internal air services, and gained nearly 50% of the total market. Air France and Air Inter have withdrawn from routes with TGV services. Similarly in Germany Lufthansa operates dedicated trains from Frankfurt for internal services, which are faster and more convenient that air.
High speed rail attracts air and car passengers and therefore achieves real energy and carbon emission savings, especially if the trains are electrically powered, from renewable generation. The question is how to answer the doubts of the Royal Commission ? The largest part of the cost and embedded energy of a new railway is creating the right of way. The present UK rail network is 11,000 miles long, down from a pre Beeching peak of 23,000 miles. There are clearly some abandoned rail routes, like the Great Central and Waverley lines that would be attractive had they not been built over. The other major UK network of high speed routes, is 2500 miles of motorways, designed like the German Autobahn, for no maximum speed.
This was the starting point of a Civil Engineering research project at Liverpool JM University. This project looked at how motorways might be used for high speed railways (200mph operating speed), the safety and capacity issues for continuing road traffic, the use of motorway service stations as strategic park and ride rail stations, and detailed design exercises for critical areas identified in an example route between the NW and London. The principles developed are applicable to any motorway and demonstrate an affordable approach to creating new high speed rail lines, which could typically give a London Birmingham time of 40mins, London Manchester of 70mins, London Liverpool of 80 mins and London to Edinburgh in 140mins.
High speed railways along motorways would more than double the passenger capacity, and directly attract traffic. The M6 is the busiest motorway in the EU, and if the experience of high speed rail in other countries can be duplicated, could double the rail share of interurban traffic from 20% to 40%, which would reduce UK carbon dioxide emissions by about 5%., and subsequently as work, home and travel patterns changed lead to a more significant 10% reduction.
