New data shows that rail travel creates 10 times less carbon emissions per passenger than the equivalent car journey and 13 times less than travelling by plane.
Part of the new data which forms part of the Green Travel Pledge and lead by the Rail Delivery Group shows that an equivalent journey from London King’s Cross Station to Edinburgh Waverley Station produced 12.5kgCO2e of carbon emissions per passenger by train compared to 136.4kgCO2e by car and 165.1kgCO2e by plane.
The new data is the first time that detailed rail data has been combined like this including engine type, fuel type, journey distance, occupancy and carriage layout.
Jacqueline Starr, CEO at the Rail Delivery Group, said: “This is a preliminary result but it shows what we all know – that rail is by far the most sustainable travel choice for businesses and business travellers.
“Choosing rail over more polluting methods, like cars and planes, is an easy way to help protect the planet.
“We want to empower businesses to make greener travel choices.
“Businesses have been asking for a tool to demonstrate the environmental benefits of shifting business travel journeys from planes and cars to rail. We are now delivering this.
“We are really excited to be rolling out accurate and reliable carbon emission data for rail routes across Britain as part of our Green Travel Pledge later this year so businesses can accurately demonstrate how rail travel is helping them to reach their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.”
And the Rail Delivery Group believe that the preliminary results highlight the need to measure the data at a granular level, with emissions for this distance on a electrified commuter train route currently being calculated at nearly half the figure that is considered a standard measure by Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).
Photo Credit:Istock
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