Scotland reveals 2035 decarbonisation strategy
SCOTTISH Transport Minister Michael Matheson has unveiled an ambitious plan to electrify the main lines to Inverness, Aberdeen, and Carlisle via Dumfries.
The plan should bring lowcarbon trains to replace diesel units on lines to Stranraer, Oban, Mallaig, Wick and Thurso.
Speaking in ScotRail’s Shields Depot in Glasgow on July 28, Matheson said: “Building on our recent strong track record of delivering electrification projects, we have set out ambitious but achievable plans to decarbonise our rail passenger services by
2035 - five years ahead of the UK target.”
Transport Scotland attached no cost to the plan, which is expected to be authorised in stages. However, it reckons on electrifying 1,616 single-track kilometres (stkm) by 2035.
A report last year from the Rail Industry Association suggested that most electrification schemes should cost between £750,000 and £1.5 million per stkm. While RIA cautioned that these figures were not an estimating tool, they translate in broad brush terms to Transport Scotland’s plan weighing in at £2.4 billion.
RIA Technical Director David Clarke said: “The plan is an important step in the journey towards decarbonising the passenger railway in Scotland by 2035.
“It sets out a clear focus on decarbonising the network through a rolling programme of electrification and investment in low-carbon, self-powered rolling stock, both of which the rail industry stands ready to deliver.”
In addition to wiring the lines to Aberdeen, Inverness and Carlisle, TS’s plan envisages Fife’s railway becoming electric by 2035, and wires reaching Tain on the Far
North Line and to Barrhead on the Stranraer route by 2045. It plans to electrify, on average, 130 stkm (81 miles) per year to reach its 2035 target.
It argues: “While this rate may seem challenging, it should be noted that in recent years we have delivered considerable electrification projects in conjunction with major infrastructure enhancements on routes between Edinburgh and Glasgow via Falkirk High and Shotts, as well as extensions northwards to Dunblane and Alloa.”
Those lines that cannot justify electrification - the final miles into Stranraer and the West Highland and Far North lines - could receive a combination of hydrogen or batteries used to power trains.
TS said in its plan: “We have started to focus on and investigate opportunities for alternative traction models both for predominantly rural/scenic lines in Scotland and in areas where a policy of discontinuous electrification could be applied as an interim or transitional measure.
“Bi-mode trains (electric and battery bi-mode, for example) will be useful in unlocking the passenger and operational benefits from the use of electric traction earlier in the rollout.”
It notes Aberdeen’s establishment as a centre of excellence for hydrogen fuel cell technology and the city’s plans for buses powered by hydrogen. Its 2035 map has the Aberdeen-Inverness line powered by alternative sources (such as hydrogen) as an intermediate step to electrification.
TS plans to establish an innovation hub at Longannet (also the site of Talgo’s proposed UK factory) to help decarbonise the rail network.
Matheson’s plan acknowledges the dilemma that Transport Scotland faces over diesel trains. They already have lower emissions per passenger mile than private cars. This means there is a benefit from reallocating them from electrified lines to provide more capacity on routes where TS believes that short trains suppress demand.
TS says it will take steps to use battery technology to convey trains away from stations (as Porterbrook is doing with a Chiltern Class 168); optimise train length to increase occupancy on quieter trains; reduce empty stock mileage; and reduce emissions by fitting exhaust treatment systems. ScotRail’s main diesel fleets are Classes 156 and ‘170’ and its HST fleet.
On rail freight, the plan says: “Electrification is currently the only viable option for rail freight to decarbonise over long distances and on mixed use lines. There is known latent demand for rail freight and the rail freight industry is working with Scottish businesses to develop new rail freight services, as environmental concerns are beginning to change the logistics choices of Scottish producers.
“We have recently identified that there is demand for an additional