Railways: the answer to sustainable development in the transport sector

UIC -www.railway-mobility.org, www.railway-energy.org

Despite technological advances, transport is not developing in sustainable ways. Railways are crucial to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to creating sustainable transport systems. Bringing about a modal shift from road to rail is the key to achieving the targets of the Kyoto Protocol and beyond - and at the same time a sustainable global transport policy for the future.

Transport and climate change
Transport was singled out in Rio in 1992 as a key area in order to achieve sustainable development. Nevertheless, the sector today accounts for approximately 30% of global CO2 emissions making it the second largest contributor after the electricity and heat supply sector. This is not due to a lack of efforts: fuels are cleaner today, many cars and other vehicles are far less polluting and more environmentally-friendly both in their production and in their performance. Nevertheless, the road and aviation sectors are responsible for almost 90% of the CO2 emissions caused by transport.

The main reason for this poor performance is the enormous increase in transport demand - in both passenger and freight services. If developing countries adopt the travel patterns of the western lifestyle, the number of cars and commercial vehicles which is currently 800 million, is set to rise to 1.6 billion by the year 2030, or approximately one vehicle for every five people on the planet (based on present population growth estimates). According to the European Transport Forum (2003), this growth will mostly be seen in countries such as Brazil, China, India, Korea, Mexico, Russia and Thailand as people enjoying greater prosperity seek to increase their individual mobility.

The transport sector needs more attention and to be fully adopted into the climate change framework. Today international transport like aviation and shipping are not concerned by the national aims set by the Kyoto Protocol. At the same time, there seems to be a general lack of knowledge on transport and its consequences for climate change.

Railways continue to improve
The railways are the most environmentally-friendly mode of land freight and passenger transport in terms of energy consumption and subsequently, carbon dioxide emissions. Even with today's technologies, rail uses significantly less energy and causes lower emissions than individual road transport and is between 3 to 10 times more energyefficient than the private car. As well as being an answer to the problem of climate change, railways are also offering efficient transport built on social equity, low environmental impact and positive economic growth, resulting in more sustainable mobility Quality of life for every citizen is an essential challenge for any future policy.

The railways are continuously improving their environmental performance and increasing load factors. German Railways has an ongoing project called " EnergieSparen " (Save Energy) aimed at reducing energy consumption by 10 percent through teaching and encouraging drivers to drive in a more energy-efficient way. In the US, where rail is the leading mode for freight transport (market share of 40%), fuel efficiency increased by more than 60% between 1980 and 2001.

Achieving sustainable development in the transport sector
There are two essential measures that need to be integrated into policy and decision-making on transport as soon as possible. Firstly, there need to an equal playing field for transport modes. The 'polluter pays principle' was adopted by the Rio Declaration in the 1992, but even today prices in the transport market are far from reflecting the external costs of transport. According to a recent study (IWW/INFRAS 2004), the external costs of transport (mostly comprising air and noise pollution, accident costs, climate change) amount to just over 7% of the GDP of 17 European countries (EU+Switzerland and Norway). Two-thirds of this damage is attributable to passenger transport, while one-third is from freight. In total, the road sector is responsible for over 80% of external cost damage; the airline sector for nearly 15%; the railways for just under 2%.

In other words CO2 emissions can be significantly lowered with a modal shift towards rail and public transport. Transport policies should focus on how to establish smart sustainable transport systems giving people incentives to change their travel habits.

Secondly, appropriate policies to exploit the railways' CO2-reduction potential for society must also include investments in infrastructure in both developing and developed countries. In developing countries, a robust rail system will be crucial to cope with the current dramatic growth of their populations and urban areas, and the resulting increase in travel and mobility demands. By establishing the basic infrastructure, the railways will become available for the benefit and mobility of a broader population.

The rail system has to be the cornerstone, linking urban hubs as well as suburban conglomerations for passengers. This requires sustainable urban planning with rail as a backbone for the infrastructure. In the developed countries, infrastructure needs to be upgraded to achieve the full benefit of railway systems for society. This means the construction of new dedicated lines for passenger and freight.

For more information: sagevik@uic.asso.fr