SCBA sustainability rail traffic
19077
From 2019 to 2020
Rail transport emits significantly less greenhouse gases than other modes of transport, especially on electrified lines. TML conducted a cost-benefit analysis for making Belgian rail transport more sustainable, examined alternatives such as battery and hydrogen trains for non-electrified sections, and recommended full electrification.
Rail transport leads to much lower emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants than comparable transport by road, inland waterway, or air. This advantage is even more pronounced if the railway lines are electrified. In Belgium (and within Europe), rail transport is the only means of transport that is almost fully electrified. The further development of rail transport in Belgium is therefore an essential part of the Energy-Climate Plan 2021 - 2030. In this study, we conducted a cost-benefit analysis to make rail transport more sustainable by further reducing the non-electrified parts of the rail network. These sections consist of passenger lines mainly around Ghent (Eeklo-Ronse, Ghent-Geraardsbergen, Aalst-Burst) and Charleroi-Couvin. There are also the non-electrified freight lines Genk-Bilzen (L21c), Gent-Zelzate (L204), and Gent-Wondelgem-Terneuzen (L55).
Three options were being considered for the remaining non-electrified lines, namely
- the complete electrification of the Belgian rail network and complete de-electrification of the fleet,
- the use of hydrogen trains to replace diesel trains on non-electrified sections, and
- the use of hybrid trains powered by batteries and pantographs (for passenger trains only).
To this end, TML carried out the following tasks:
- Literature research and collection of key figures and indicators.
- Development of an evaluation tool.
- Application of the evaluation tool and sensitivity analysis.
As a result of the literature review, we found that alternatives to electric passenger trains offer opportunities to save costs and further improve the sustainability of the rail network. This applies to both battery trains and hydrogen. Of the two, battery trains are closest to full commercial implementation, but battery trains remain dependent on adequate charging infrastructure and partial electrification to operate reliably. Hydrogen, as a virtually infrastructure-free technology, offers a significant advantage and can benefit from interaction with the industrial sector. The potential price and availability of (green) hydrogen remains key here. In the case of rail freight, the alternatives to full electrification do not yet seem fully developed: batteries do not have the energy density to provide sufficient energy to transport heavy goods trains reliably over long distances for the time being. The only option is hybrid trains, which combine either battery and diesel or hydrogen and diesel technologies.
The evaluation tool was developed in Excel, starting from a comprehensive quick scan tool for low utilisation railways, developed in 2015. The tool consists of a series of linked spreadsheets, which can assess specific lines for (i) accessibility, (ii) energy costs, (iii) investment and maintenance costs, and (iv) emissions and environmental impact. The tool has a built-in methodology for sensitivity analysis based on DG Regio's guide to cost-benefit analysis (2014). The sensitivity analysis can be applied in several ways: best- or worst-case analysis, parameter-by-parameter analysis, and Monte Carlo analysis. This allows for a very comprehensive sensitivity and scenario analysis.
We found that full electrification of the remaining diesel lines has potentially great social benefits. We therefore recommend a complete move away from diesel trains in the long term. The feasibility and potential benefits of electrification differ according to the relative use of the line. The most promising alternative technology is the use of battery trains, but the difference in benefits and costs for full electrification is relatively limited and highly dependent on the specifics of the line. The rollout of hydrogen trains is quite risky and is best done only if there is sufficient industrial infrastructure to provide (cheap and renewable) hydrogen nearby.
