Plans for high speed rail line(HS2) between Birmingham and London could help cut UK carbon emissions according to a new report.
Research commissioned by the Campaign for Better Transport, Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) suggests that contrary to government estimates that the HS2 line could be carbon neutral, the line could in fact result in a net loss of emissions if specific supporting policies are put in place.
While plans for the HS2 have proven controversial, with campaign groups expressing concern for the loss of countryside and the impact on local residents, the charities are united in the belief that the high speed rail has the potential to play an important part in reducing overall the impact of transport on the environment if implemented in the right way.
Conducted by Greengauge 21, the research report ‘The Carbon Impacts of HS2’ examined all the factors which will affect the carbon impact of HS2 including; how electricity in future is generated and how much comes from renewable sources, how transport and land use planning are integrated, in particular where new stations are sited, how successful HS2 is in attracting passengers from other modes of transport and how much capacity HS2 frees up on existing lines in order to accommodate more freight.
Jim Steer of Greengauge 21 said: "We need to move beyond the will it, won’t it level of debate about the carbon impact of HS2. Our research has looked at a wide range of factors that might affect the carbon case for HS2 and discovered the impacts are complex and inter-related. But if the detailed planning is done properly, HS2 should make a positive contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions."
Ralph Smyth, CPRE, said: "Integrating land use and transport planning will be of critical importance if high-speed rail is to cut carbon. Well sited high-speed rail stations could stimulate brownfield regeneration and create attractive, walkable neighbourhoods."
Melanie Coath of RSPB said: "Climate change poses the greatest long term threat to wildlife so we need transport systems that help us deliver a low carbon economy. A robust analysis of the carbon impacts of HS2 will help us understand the role high-speed rail might play compared to other modes of transport."
The report is an interim document ahead of the full results of the research, which will be published in 2012. The next phase of the study will examine the knock-on effects on other modes of transport, examining for the first time the carbon impacts of freeing up capacity on existing railways for more rail freight or local passenger services, and identify the policy measures that will have the most impact on the carbon emissions for high speed rail.
