Government urged to commit to hydrogen train fleets
Outline strategy is welcomed by RIA, but gives little detail on the way forward for rail.
THE Railway Industry Association (RIA) says ministers must make an immediate commitment to ordering hydrogen-powered trains.
Commenting on the publication of the Government’s hydrogen strategy, the RIA – which represents over 300 businesses in the railway supply sector – welcomed the plans, but added that they needed to be followed-up with action to support green jobs and investment across the country.
RIA technical director
David Clarke said: “Network
Rail has identified that up to 1300 kilometres of railway lines will require hydrogen trains in order to achieve the Government’s ‘Net Zero by 2050’ goal. Yet, as we say in RIA’s Rail Decarbonisation Campaign 21, if we are to successfully decarbonise our rail network we need to get started today, in 2021, both electrifying railway lines and beginning the production of hydrogen and battery trains.”
Strategy
Published on August 17, the ‘UK Hydrogen Strategy’ document outlines plans for the use of low carbon hydrogen in industry, power generation, heating and transport in order to help meet the 2050 net zero carbon emissions target.
Whilst it acknowledges that “hydrogen is likely to be fundamental to achieving net zero in transport, potentially complementing electrification across modes of transport such as buses, trains and heavy goods vehicles” it contains few details about potential application for railway fleets other than adding that it is envisaged hydrogen will be in use for lorries, buses and rail by 2030.
The document continues:
“To decarbonise currently unelectrified parts of the network, electrification will likely be the best solution because electrified trains are faster, quicker to accelerate, more reliable and cheaper.
"There will also be a role for new traction technologies, like battery and hydrogen trains, on some lines where they make economic and operational sense.”
No trials yet
Although there has been investment in projects to convert existing rolling stock to demonstrate hydrogen technology – for example HydroFLEX, a University of Birmingham and Porterbrook venture using a modified Class 319 EMU, began main line tests last year – no commitment has yet been made to fleet orders of hydrogen trains.
It is over two years since plans were first announced for the Tees Valley (subsequently designated the UK’s first hydrogen transport hub) to be the base for the country’s first fleet of hydrogen multiple units. However, as announcements were made in August on the trial of hydrogen road vehicles in the region, Tees Valley Combined Authority told The RM it could offer no update on the progress on the rail scheme.
HOPES of transferring the trackbed of the closed line from Broadway to Honeybourne to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) has hit a stumbling block because the Department for Transport (DfT) is refusing to sanction the transfer. The reason relates to a covenant over future maintenance of bridges.
Back in the mid-1980s, British Rail’s Property Board offered the trackbed to the railway for £5, but because of circumstances at the time, the offer was not taken up. Several years ago, the 4½mile trackbed was transferred by the DfT to Railway Paths Limited (RPL), a subsidiary of Sustrans funded by the Department. RPL has decided the trackbed no longer fits its current plans and, with disposal in mind, approached the GWSR knowing its intentions to reopen to Honeybourne.
RPL has undertaken minimum maintenance, with the result that the bridges have deteriorated and several are propped up to cope with the weight of road traffic. The GWSR is also very mindful of the recent plan by Highways England to infill bridges to provide support while at the same time totally preventing a line from being reopened in the future.
Infill fears
“It appears the policy of
DfT is that heritage railways cannot provide a sufficiently strong covenant to secure the continuing maintenance of road bridges that cross such redundant lines,” said GWSR chairman Richard Johnson. “This is of concern, given the current controversy surrounding the Highways England strategy to infill or demolish a number of such structures on redundant railways across the UK.
“My understanding is that consideration will only be given to transferring ownership to a body such as a local authority which, by definition, has the necessary resources to maintain the bridges. In such a case, an option would be that the line would be leased back to the heritage railway concerned.
“We have written to the DfT to confirm that this policy is indeed correct; whether it could be waived in this case and to seek confirmation that nothing will be done to the bridges or trackbed that could compromise potential reuse as a railway line.”
Baroness Vere, Minister for Roads Buses and Places, has since confirmed in the House of Lords that there is currently no intention to infill or demolish the bridges on that route. The GWSR has also begun talks with Worcestershire County Council.
The area is soon to see a £200m capacity increase investment planned for the North Cotswold line, a £70m upgrade for Oxford station, and a bid to reopen the Honeybourne-Stratford line as part of a Restore Your Railways project for which £50,000 funding has been allocated.
The GWSR sees protection of the trackbed as vital as part of a future sustainable transport plan.
Heritage railways are also seen within the recent Great British Railways report as providing a vital role in the national public transport network.