Great Western Coffee Shop

Key results
For passenger trains, electricity usage increased by 5.3% and diesel usage increased by 1.5% compared to 2018-19. Over the same time period, passenger kilometres decreased by 1.3%.
The resulting CO2e emissions for passenger trains have fallen to 35.1g CO2e per passenger km. This is the lowest level since the comparable time series started in 2011-12.
The amount of diesel consumed by freight trains in 2019-20 has increased by 12.5% to 172 million litres. This is the highest figure since 2015-16, and the first time that diesel use increased year on year since 2015-16. Electricity usage fell by 6.3% to 70 million kWh.
The resulting CO2e emissions for freight trains have increased to 27.5g CO2e per tonne km. This is the highest level since the comparable time series started in 2011-12.

Surprising (perhaps) that it takes more energy, it would seem, to transport one passenger than a whole tonne of freight. Presumably this is due to higher speeds and more frequent stopping and starting of passenger trains compared to freight trains?

Statistically flawed comparison ... 1700 tonnes on a Stone train from Merehead versus 24 on the average train out of Stranraer ...  factor of 70 "units" difference.   Yes - I have chosen extreme cases; some will be in proportion to the number of units, but much will be in relation to the number of engines / number of trains.   And with wagonload freight having been pretty much wiped out apart from very specialist stuff like nuclear flasks ...

The report is "all" about CO2 ... but what about other emissions?  I observed a Zoom meeting yesterday where SWR were talking about train developments and one of the things that came through was a continued progress on better trains.  Talk of the modernisation of class 442 to have anti-slip braking, of better suspension on the new(er) trains arriving on the Isle of Wight from next week, and of a cleaner air system fitted to a class 159 which reduced NO2 by 80% and particulates by 95%.   Those sound astonishingly good figures - does that mean that the engines have been pretty awful in what they have put out until now, or that they are now almost miracle-clean from a good start anyway?

In addition to DPFs, the use of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) has grown rapidly
over the last five years. SCR is used to reduce NOx emissions from diesel exhausts
by injecting a reducing agent (urea) into the exhaust. When the correct exhaust
temperatures are reached in the exhaust stream SCR can reduce NOx emissions by
over 95%.
In the UK, the bus sector has recently received government funding for SCR retrofit
systems to be installed on older buses. The aim of this is to bring bus tailpipe NOx
emissions in line with the latest Euro VI standards (Barrett, 2019). To be eligible to
receive this funding, exhaust retrofit devices need to meet the requirements set out
by the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS).
In the rail industry, Porterbrook is collaborating with Eminox, a UK based leader in
aftertreatment technology, to deliver the Green Rail?Exhaust After Treatment System
(GR-EATS) project. This project seeks to transfer proven on-road aftertreatment
technology to a railway operating environment, with the first being installed on a
South Western Railway Class 159. The project will:
? ensure the system conforms with applicable rail standards
? ascertain ongoing maintenance requirements
? establish emissions performance and durability.

At what point in its lifespan will HS2 be carbon neutral?

Presumably as it's all brand new kit, pretty early?

For fuel use, that must depend on the national electricity supply's carbon status. Otherwise the boundary you draw can include more or less extra stuff if you want, like building the trains or indeed feeding the staff! But why would new electric trains be very different from old ones? Faster ones use more juice, of course, which must be more relevant.

Yes this picks up on your point re: faster trains amongst others - seems like it'll never be carbon neutral.

https://iea.org.uk/hs2-wont-help-the-government-meet-its-climate-change-goals/

One must be careful to differentiate between the carbon emissions produced by USE of a railway or other infrastructure, and those produced by BUILDING the infrastructure.

The emissions produced by USE of HS2 are unknown, since they will largely depend on the future carbon intensity of yet to be produced electricity. Some repairs and replacements of infrastructure will be needed, but the future carbon intensity of concrete, steel, copper, and other materials is unknown.

The missions produced by BUILDING HS2 could be estimated from amounts of different materials used in construction and the carbon intensity thereof. Figures would only be estimates.

Anti HST groups have claimed that flying or driving or driving would be greener than HS2, but they tend to cheat by including the carbon emissions from building HS2, but for air or road transport including only the fuel burnt by the vehicles.
If the carbon cost building HS2 is to be counted, then they should also include the carbon costs of building roads and airports.

Anything published by HS2 promoters is probably a bit optimistic, but is most unlikely to contain significant factual errors.

I assume that you know HS2 Ltd IS HS2 - rather more than being an enthusiastic "Promoter" with a little misplaced optimism!  :D

For fuel use, that must depend on the national electricity supply's carbon status. Otherwise the boundary you draw can include more or less extra stuff if you want, like building the trains or indeed feeding the staff! But why would new electric trains be very different from old ones? Faster ones use more juice, of course, which must be more relevant.

All they need to do is sign up to one of the "100% Green" tariffs, available from all good suppliers*.  ;D

(*And most bad ones)

The Traction Electricity contract was signed with EDF Energy in January 2013 and runs for 10 years from 1st October 2014 to 30th September 2024.  The scope includes all imported electricity through traction supply points (around 120) and the export of surplus regenerated electricity.  It is a flexible contract and the only element fixed at the outset was the management fee.  All other cost elements are passed through by EDF Energy once the actual rates are known.

Total Consumption in 2016-17 is around 3,400,000,000 kWh (3,400GWh) and will cost around ?300m.
...
Appendix A shows a breakdown of the various cost elements.  The commodity or power station gate price now makes up less than half of the total cost.  The price must be locked ahead of the month of delivery.  Network Rail has passed responsibility for locking the price to the train operators (except for the NTfT portion).  The commodity price can be locked up to the end of the contract.