SCOTRAIL has revealed that it is on track to cut its carbon footprint by 10,000 tones come May 2021.
It follows an estimated 46,000 tonnes being reduced over the last two years, as the train operating firm continues to work to make Scotland’s railway as carbon friendly as possible.
Currently, more than 76% of passenger and 45% of freight journeys are electrified. The firm said that all diesel trains will be taken out of service over the next 15 years through the decarbonisation of the rail infrastructure.
Between 2014 and 2019, 325km of Scotland’s central railway network was electrified. The investment supported the introduction of a new £370 million fleet of 70 modern electric trains.
Work is currently ongoing in East Kilbride and Barrhead to continue this electrification, with ScotRail adding that it plans to deliver Scotland’s first net zero carbon station this year.
Damian Keaveny, ScotRail’s head of environment, said, “In recent years a huge amount of progress has been made in a short timeframe, making the transition from road to rail easier as every milestone is reached.
“We have identified electrification and the transition from diesel to alternative traction such as hydrogen and battery trains as the key to achieving zero CO2 emissions on Scotland’s Railway by 2035 and we are pushing ahead with big investment into making that a reality.
“Rail is already the most sustainable mode of public transport, contributing only 1 per cent of Scotland’s overall transport carbon emissions, but, there’s no doubt a cleaner and greener network is something we should all be working towards.”
