Sam Sage – Graduate Management Trainee at HS1 – gives his personal account of his work to support HS1’s participation in the World Climate Summit, being held in Glasgow in November, and HS1’s efforts to maximise its environmental potential as the green gateway to Europe.

I joined HS1, the British highspeed rail infrastructure manager, as a graduate trainee just over a year ago, at a time when the business’ sustainability strategy was being finalised. The company prides itself on being the ‘green gateway to Europe’, and I very quickly began to understand the significant role that HS1 is playing in averting the climate catastrophe. Our comparatively small stretch of the UK rail network that connects London to the Channel Tunnel, already prevents 60,000 flights a year, the equivalent of 750,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, yet HS1 still has 50% capacity to fill. Filling the line to capacity would have significant environmental and socio-economic benefits, as highlighted in an independent report, prepared by Steer in 2020[1]. I will help the team to convey this message during The World Climate Summit (WCS) in Glasgow later this year, an official COP26 side event that HS1 has been invited to.

Urgency

Throughout my three years of studying Geography at university, my lecturers instilled the urgent need for action if we are to remain within the 1.5 degrees of global warming deemed critical by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This point was re-emphasised by the organisation’s latest Sixth Assessment report, which warns that the temperature limit could be broken in just over a decade without change. Recent news headlines reflect this sentiment; ‘the race to zero’… the ‘make or break decade for reducing greenhouse gas emissions’… ‘code red for humanity’. Headlines such as these make me grateful to be working in an inherently green industry, for a company with such strong green credentials.

Decarbonising transport

Transport is the UK’s largest emitting sector of greenhouse gas emissions, producing 27% of the UK’s total emissions in 2019, yet rail is only responsible for a small proportion of this percentage. Numerous rail sector organisations are now calling for further rail electrification and a modal shift onto trains, over planes or cars. For example, The Rail Industry Association’s (RIA) RailDecarb21 Campaign calls for a specific government commitment to decarbonise the rail network through electrification and investment in low carbon, self-powered rolling stock (trains) ahead of COP26 in November of this year. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) also recently published a report which highlights the role that rail freight could play in decarbonising the freight and logistics sector, aiming to triple rail freight volumes by 2050. At HS1, we’re exploring highspeed freight as a new and innovative way to use highspeed networks. We hope that the WCS will help to further stimulate these conversations and help us to make this concept a reality.

High-speed rail’s green credentials

The case for rail is compelling. Rail freight is estimated to save around 1.4 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions every year, and the UK’s only high-speed line carrying passengers removes over 6,000 cars and lorries from the roads every year in the UK. It is also currently the only low carbon alternative to short haul aviation from London to the near continent. For example, a journey from London to Paris via Eurostar emits up to 93% less CO₂ per passenger than flying, and unlike the aviation industry, it is not solely reliant on internal combustion. This is an inherent advantage of high-speed rail that must be capitalised on. HS1 and other high-speed rail networks across Europe have spare capacity and with European air traffic set to increase by 53% between 2017 and 2040, there is a strong argument to better support a modal shift away from less environmentally friendly modes of transport and onto the high-speed rail network.

Time for action

Whilst there are still improvements to be made, for an industry that currently only contributes 1.4% of transport emissions, arguably the quickest decarbonisation win is focusing on stimulating a modal shift to rail, as a low carbon form of transport.

So how can this modal shift be achieved? The French government is ahead of the game in this respect by banning domestic short-haul flights under 2.5 hours where rail alternatives exist. There is scope for the UK Government to take inspiration here and look at ways to incentivise use of high-speed rail.

However, currently, aviation fuel is tax-exempt, and the aviation industry has benefited from £7 billion of Government support to ready it for a ‘bounce back’ after the pandemic. The playing field needs to be levelled if high-speed rail is to compete with aviation more successfully. An example of how this might be done was forwarded by Jacques Damas, CEO of Eurostar, who recently suggested a £1 tax on these short haul flights, with the money used to subsidise rail.

Alongside the policy changes required to reduce the cost of rail travel, the passenger experience must be improved. Passenger rail must become more accessible, convenient, and attractive, according to a recent report published by IEA[2]. The whole experience must be improved to help stimulate that modal shift that we are looking for, from the booking process right through to post-travel engagement. Integration with other mobility services, such as hire cars or e-vehicles, and embracing digital technology, will also be key parts of this. 

Government plans

The UK Government’s recent Transport Decarbonisation plan, published in July of this year, sets out the strategy for a green industry revolution. Accelerating a modal shift onto public transport is identified as a strategic priority. Rail specifically is praised for being the greenest form of motorised transport, and electrification is endorsed as a lever for attracting new passengers. We are ahead of the curve at HS1, recently becoming the first UK railway to run entirely on renewable electricity.

However, the overt focus of the plan is still on decarbonising flight, and reaching a global agreement on reducing international aviation emissions is described as ‘long term’ and ‘ambitious’. Aviation, of course, has its place in the transport sector, and work to decarbonise the industry is essential. However, the timeframes associated with decarbonisation of aviation do not match the level of urgency required in the ‘race to zero’. Increasing modal shift to rail is a quick win and can deliver in the required timescale, therefore surely this should be a priority?

Next steps

Whilst the Government has a large part to play, the rail industry itself cannot afford to rest on its laurels. The COVID-19 pandemic has given us a unique opportunity to reset the way that people think and travel, and we can’t waste this moment.

It will be interesting to see how delegates travel to Glasgow for COP26 and we eagerly await the outcomes of discussion on 10 November which will centre on transport. Collaboration between infrastructure managers is important if we are to achieve the desired modal shift onto railways, so learnings from the World Climate Summit will be shared with other EIM members. For me, Glasgow is an incredible opportunity to highlight the potential of HS1 and the European rail network to play an even bigger role in the fight against climate change, and will certainly be a memorable moment in my early career.

[1] https://highspeed1.co.uk/media/vemkxmot/delivering-for-britain-and-beyond-the-economic-impact-of-hs1-march-2020.pdf

[2] https://www.iea.org/reports/rail