School of somethingFACULTY OF OTHER

DTC Low Carbon Technologies Faculty Of Engineering University of Leeds, UK

Holly Edwards

Rail Revolution or Carbon Creator? Assessing the potential for high speed rail to replace domestic flights worldwide

Introduction

New transport modes have increasingly opened the door for regional development

Why High Speed Rail?

• Reduction in carbon emissions

• Alternative technological solution for the aviation industry

• Energy security

Where in the World?

Operational High Speed Rail Planned/In Construction Under Consideration

Air-Rail Partnerships

• First air-rail partnership introduced in France in 1994

• High speed rail services provide the same service as that of a flight e.g. check-in at origin station including bag transfer and quick and efficient connections to onward flights.

• Benefits to:• Airlines: additional capacity at airports by freeing of slots and

improved network economics

• High Speed Rail Operators: increase in demand for services

• Airports: increased connectivity, reduced local pollution and increased catchment area.

Methodology

Rio de Janeiro- Sao Paulo

Air: 2 hr 0 m

HSR: 1 hr 25 m

Shanghai-Beijing

Air: 5 hr 0 m

HSR: 4 hr 38 m

Barcelona-Madrid

Air: 2 hr 30 m

HSR: 2 hr 36 m

Johannesburg-Cape Town

Air: 3 hr

HSR: 4 hr 30 m

Mumbai-New Delhi

Air: 3 hr 6 m

HSR: 4 hr 6 m

Los Angeles-San Francisco

Air: 2 hr 19 m

HSR: 2 hr 48 m

Tokyo-

Sapporo

Air: 2 hr 30 m

HSR: 5 hr 0 m

Sydney-Melbourne

Air: 2 hr 35 m

HSR: 3 hr 8 m

Operational No formal plansConstruction/Planning

Methodology

𝑬 𝒂𝒊𝒓=𝑵 𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒙 ((𝑭 𝑪𝑪𝑫+𝑭 𝑳𝑻𝑶 )𝒙 𝑬𝑭 )

Total Carbon Calculation for Air Travel:

Where:

Eair = total amount of CO2 emissions (kg) between a city pair in one year;

Nflights = total number of services between a city pair in one year;

FCCD = Fuel use (kg) for climb/cruise/descent stage of flight for given aircraft type;

FLTO = Fuel use (kg) for landing and take-off cycle of flight for given aircraft type;

EF = emissions factor for carbon dioxide of 3.157 kgCO2/kgfuel

Methodology

𝑬𝑯𝑺𝑹=(𝑬𝑪𝒙   (𝑳𝑭𝒙𝑺 ) 𝒙 𝑪𝑰 𝒙 𝒅 )𝒙  𝑵 𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔

Total Carbon Calculation for High Speed Rail:

Where:

EHSR = total emissions for HSR;

EC = energy consumption (kWh) per seat-km;

LF = load factor (%);

S = number of seats required by passengers shifting from air travel;

CI = carbon intensity of electricity grid (kgCO2/kWh);

d = distance (km);

Nflights = number of flights per annum that HSR would be replacing.

Results – Carbon Emissions

Results – Grid Parity

High Speed Rail Decision Factors

HSR

Carbon savings

Energy security Carbon from construction

Competitive journey times

Integration of air-rail partnerships

Conclusion

• Air-rail partnerships can result in significant reductions in carbon emissions.

• Savings strongly depend on the carbon intensity of the grid of the country operating the HSR route

• There may also be other reasons to implement partnerships for airlines, such as reducing fuel costs.

• Including air-rail partnerships in the earliest stages of planning is

key to achieving a effective and efficient system.

Thank you

Holly Edwards

pmhae@leeds.ac.uk