Project Details
Description
Background and context
The transport sector is now a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the UK, with 107.5 MtCO2 emitted in 2021. While rail transport is already one of the least carbon-intensive means of transport, decarbonising train stations presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities.
This project aims to identify the GHG emissions associated with train stations, including those from buildings, infrastructure, and employee and passenger journeys, and establish viable emission reduction pathways. This project will use Bristol Temple Meads, the UK's oldest and largest train station, as a case study. This research will contribute to the UK's net-zero aspirations and support the development of a sustainable rail sector supported by the Connected Places Catapult (CPC).
Train stations are a critical component of the transport infrastructure in the UK and worldwide. In addition to serving as hubs for passenger and freight rail services, train stations often function as important economic and social centres within their communities. However, the operation of train stations is associated with GHG emissions from various sources, including energy consumption of buildings, infrastructure, employee commuting and passenger journeys.
Efforts to decarbonise train stations have been undertaken in various countries worldwide. The UK's Department for Transport has derived the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, which outlines a vision for the rail sector to become zero-carbon by 2050. The National Rail's Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy identified key areas for rail decarbonisation, including electrification of the rail network, deployment of low-carbon energy vectors and energy efficiency measures in train stations.
Although the focus is placed on reducing traction GHG emissions, non-traction GHG emissions are equally important. The RSSB's DECARB: Carbon Measurements T1197 indicated that the non-traction electricity, employee commuting and embodied carbon account for about 7-10% of GHG emissions in the rail sector. Some UK rail operators also recognised the need to include Scope 3 in their decarbonisation strategies. For example, Avanti West Coast aspires to become a net-zero carbon business by 2031 and an absolute zero carbon business by 2050. South-Western Railway (SWR) aims to become a net-zero carbon business by 2040. Eurostar aims to be net-zero carbon by 2050, as evidenced by joining the UN's Race to Zero. Other countries have also implemented initiatives to decarbonise their rail sectors. For example, in Germany, the Deutsche Bahn has set a target to become carbon neutral by 2040, focusing on reducing energy consumption in buildings and infrastructure.
While these efforts demonstrate progress towards decarbonising train stations, they rely on deterministic models and outputs and do not account for the economic and environmental uncertainties in GHG mitigation activities. This project will develop a novel user-friendly tool for stochastic carbon footprint and financial assessment of emission reduction activities at train stations. It will consider uncertainty in economic and environmental data to enable data-driven decision-making.
National Importance
By understanding the GHG emissions of train stations and identifying emission reduction opportunities, this research will contribute to the decarbonisation of the rail sector and support the UK's efforts to meet its net-zero emissions target. It will address the key UK societal challenges related to climate change, contributing to the EPSRC mission-inspired research in Engineering Net-Zero. This research will also contribute to the UK's current and future economic success by supporting the development of a sustainable rail sector. Furthermore, this research will meet national strategic needs by establishing a unique world-leading research activity in the area of train station decarbonisation and GHG accounting, in line with the EPSRC Strategic Plan objective to build world-class people and careers. By using stochastic models to perform a comprehensive analysis of the GHG emissions of Bristol Temple Meads, this research will provide valuable insights, guidance, and worked examples for the decarbonisation of other train stations and commercial buildings in the UK and abroad.
Methods and approach
This project aims to develop a user-friendly tool for carbon footprint and financial forecasting for stochastic assessment of the GHG reduction activities for train stations. The main objectives are to:
1) quantify GHG sources at Bristol Temple Meads (selected due to data availability through the CPC);
2) analyse passenger and employee data to improve the quality of Scope 3 assessment;
3) derive a user-friendly stochastic tool for carbon footprint and financial modelling;
4) derive emission reduction pathways to provide recommendations to the rail industry and policymakers.
The transport sector is now a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the UK, with 107.5 MtCO2 emitted in 2021. While rail transport is already one of the least carbon-intensive means of transport, decarbonising train stations presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities.
This project aims to identify the GHG emissions associated with train stations, including those from buildings, infrastructure, and employee and passenger journeys, and establish viable emission reduction pathways. This project will use Bristol Temple Meads, the UK's oldest and largest train station, as a case study. This research will contribute to the UK's net-zero aspirations and support the development of a sustainable rail sector supported by the Connected Places Catapult (CPC).
Train stations are a critical component of the transport infrastructure in the UK and worldwide. In addition to serving as hubs for passenger and freight rail services, train stations often function as important economic and social centres within their communities. However, the operation of train stations is associated with GHG emissions from various sources, including energy consumption of buildings, infrastructure, employee commuting and passenger journeys.
Efforts to decarbonise train stations have been undertaken in various countries worldwide. The UK's Department for Transport has derived the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, which outlines a vision for the rail sector to become zero-carbon by 2050. The National Rail's Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy identified key areas for rail decarbonisation, including electrification of the rail network, deployment of low-carbon energy vectors and energy efficiency measures in train stations.
Although the focus is placed on reducing traction GHG emissions, non-traction GHG emissions are equally important. The RSSB's DECARB: Carbon Measurements T1197 indicated that the non-traction electricity, employee commuting and embodied carbon account for about 7-10% of GHG emissions in the rail sector. Some UK rail operators also recognised the need to include Scope 3 in their decarbonisation strategies. For example, Avanti West Coast aspires to become a net-zero carbon business by 2031 and an absolute zero carbon business by 2050. South-Western Railway (SWR) aims to become a net-zero carbon business by 2040. Eurostar aims to be net-zero carbon by 2050, as evidenced by joining the UN's Race to Zero. Other countries have also implemented initiatives to decarbonise their rail sectors. For example, in Germany, the Deutsche Bahn has set a target to become carbon neutral by 2040, focusing on reducing energy consumption in buildings and infrastructure.
While these efforts demonstrate progress towards decarbonising train stations, they rely on deterministic models and outputs and do not account for the economic and environmental uncertainties in GHG mitigation activities. This project will develop a novel user-friendly tool for stochastic carbon footprint and financial assessment of emission reduction activities at train stations. It will consider uncertainty in economic and environmental data to enable data-driven decision-making.
National Importance
By understanding the GHG emissions of train stations and identifying emission reduction opportunities, this research will contribute to the decarbonisation of the rail sector and support the UK's efforts to meet its net-zero emissions target. It will address the key UK societal challenges related to climate change, contributing to the EPSRC mission-inspired research in Engineering Net-Zero. This research will also contribute to the UK's current and future economic success by supporting the development of a sustainable rail sector. Furthermore, this research will meet national strategic needs by establishing a unique world-leading research activity in the area of train station decarbonisation and GHG accounting, in line with the EPSRC Strategic Plan objective to build world-class people and careers. By using stochastic models to perform a comprehensive analysis of the GHG emissions of Bristol Temple Meads, this research will provide valuable insights, guidance, and worked examples for the decarbonisation of other train stations and commercial buildings in the UK and abroad.
Methods and approach
This project aims to develop a user-friendly tool for carbon footprint and financial forecasting for stochastic assessment of the GHG reduction activities for train stations. The main objectives are to:
1) quantify GHG sources at Bristol Temple Meads (selected due to data availability through the CPC);
2) analyse passenger and employee data to improve the quality of Scope 3 assessment;
3) derive a user-friendly stochastic tool for carbon footprint and financial modelling;
4) derive emission reduction pathways to provide recommendations to the rail industry and policymakers.
Layman's description
The UK Government has set a legally binding target for the UK to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The transport sector is now the major emitter of GHG in the UK, contributing 107.5 MtCO2 in 2021. Rail transport is already one of the least carbon-intensive means of transport. Although options exist for decarbonising traction emissions, it is more difficult to mitigate non-traction emissions of station buildings, infrastructure and passenger behaviour. Therefore, this project aims to create a user-friendly tool for identification of the challenges and opportunities in decarbonising the train stations, considering buildings, infrastructure and passenger journeys. This tool will use stochastic modelling to support end-users in making data-driven decisions. The Connected Places Catapult and I will engage with the Bristol Temple Meads, Britain's oldest and largest station, to map and quantify their emission sources across all emission scopes. It will include an assessment of energy consumption sources and building energy performance. I will then analyse data from passenger and employee surveys and census data to understand their journey to and from the station. Based on the gap analysis of the emission data, I will identify the emission reduction activities and qualify them in terms of economic and environmental potential. This research will also quantify the effect of uncertainty in economic and environmental data on the decarbonisation pathways.
Status | Active |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 1/07/23 → 31/12/24 |
Funding
- EPSRC Innovation Launchpad Network + Researchers in Residence Scheme
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What can the design industry do to reduce its carbon footprint?
24/10/24
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