Low-Carbon Sustainable Rail Transport Challenge
General
| Name of initiative | Low-Carbon Sustainable Rail Transport Challenge |
|---|---|
| LPAA initiative | No |
| NAZCA Initiative | Yes |
| Website address | https://uic.org/sustainable-development/ |
| Related initiatives | |
| Starting year | 2014 |
| End year | |
| Secretariat | Marie-Luz Philippe, International Railway Association (UIC), 16 rue Jean Rey, 75015 Paris, France, Tel:+33 (0)6 22 78 48 75 , e-mail: philippe@uic.org |
| Organisational structure | Governance is managed by the UIC Environment, Energy and Sustainability Platform. This is a global forum that meets 2 times per year with a budget of approx $1M to cover a program of work including the initiative and other sustainability projects. |
| Geographical coverage | Global |
| Name of lead organisation | Union Internacional de Chemin de fer (UIC) |
| Type of lead organisation | Network/Consortium/Partnership |
| Location/Nationality of lead organisation | France |
Description
| Description | Scientific statements regarding climate change are alarming: even if countries around the globe meet their commitments made at COP 21 in 2015 for 2020, the planet will warm up by 3°C by the end of the century.
In order to stay in line with the Paris Agreement, countries need to multiply their ambitions threefold and carbon neutrality must be reached before 2050. According to the Paris Agreement, countries must renew or revise the climate commitments they submitted in 2015 (Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)) upwards by the end of 2020. They must correspond to the “highest level of ambition possible”. The EU has already undertaken to increase its targets for 2030 and is also working under the European Green Deal to become the world’s first climate neutral continent by 2050. UIC proposes to go one step further and is launching a communication campaign by revising some of the sector’s commitments, both at a European level and at a global level. Railway climate responsibility pledge At the UN Climate Summit in September 2014, UIC presented the Low Carbon Rail Transport Challenge – Technical Report. This initiative sets out a vision for the development of the railway sector at the global level as a sustainable alternative to other modes of transportation that are more carbon intensive, such as road transport and aviation. The challenge includes three sets of voluntary targets: to improve rail efficiency, to decarbonize electricity supply, and to achieve a more sustainable balance of transport modes. At this time, European and global targets were designed to be complementary, whilst reflecting the different realities at European and world level. UIC is committed to reducing specific final energy consumption per traffic unit (50% by 2030 and 60% by 2050) and specific average CO2 emissions per traffic units from train operations (50% by 2030 and 75% by 2050), all relative to a 1990 baseline. In 2014, UIC also launched the Modal Shift Challenge, calling for investments that encourage a move to rail transport away from more carbon intensive transport options. The target was to achieve a 50% increase of the share of rail in passenger transport (in passenger-km) by 2030 compared to 2010, and a 100% increase by 2050. One key component of the Modal Shift Challenge was the Railway Climate Responsibility Pledge, which set out industry actions to complement the targets set for railways world-wide. During the Train to Paris high-level event in November 2015, this pledge was presented to high-level representatives of the United Nations. The Climate Responsibility pledge has been signed by more than 60 UIC members, representing most of global rail activity. In 2019, UIC proposes to go one step further by aligning its 2050 CO2 emissions target to something that is becoming more and more widely shared as a consensual target to achieve the Paris Agreement: carbon neutrality by 2050 (instead of - 75% by 2050). The Railway Climate Declaration has been proposed for signature to UIC Member at the UIC General Assembly by the end of 2019. Members were offered to consider the Declaration before the event via an official letter from UIC’s Director. At the UIC General Assembly, members were able to appose their signature on a symbolic paper, illustrating their support to the initiative. Some members also sent the signed declaration via mail, both canals allowing to gather 26 members by the end of 2019. In 2020, members were continuing considering the challenges proposed by this declaration, since it is also relying on the electricity supply or just finalising the signature process after the launch. Thus an additional 9 members were joining the initiative. The forthcoming evolution of participants will be depending on the communication around the initiative and members decarbonisation planning long term. |
|---|---|
| Objectives | To reduce specific final energy consumption from train operations by: 50% reduction by 2030 and 60% reduction by 2050 (relative to a 1990 baseline);
To reduce specific average CO2 emissions from train operations by: 50% reduction by 2030 and 75% reduction by 2050 (relative to a 1990 baseline); Rail share of passenger transport (passenger/km) to achieve a: 50% increase by 2030 and 100% increase, a doubling by 2050 (relative to a 2010 baseline); Rail share of freight land transport (tonne/km) to be: equal with road by 2030 and 50% greater than road by 2050. |
| Activities | Outreach and coalition building:
• Creation of the Climate Responsibility Pledge • Organised the Train to Paris for COP21 and actively participating in Conference of Parties every year. • UIC Sustainability Conference in Vienna in 2016 Capacity building: • Workshops on rail adaption in London, Beijing, and Agadir under the RailAdapt Project • Workshops on energy efficiency in the rail sector every year. Knowledge development: • Developed the Environment Strategy Reporting System (ESRS) |
| One or two success stories achieved |
Monitoring and Impacts
| Function of initiative | Political dialogue |
|---|---|
| Activity of initiative | Advocacy |
| Indicators | |
| Goals | This challenge sets out ambitious but achievable targets for improvement of rail sector energy efficiency, reductions in GHG emissions and a more sustainable balance between transport modes.
Implementation of the Challenge will result in 50% reduction in CO2 emissions from train operations by 2030, and 75% reduction by 2050, 50% reduction in energy consumption from train operations by 2030, and 60% reduction by 2050, 50% increase in rail’s share of passenger transportation by 2030 and doubling by 2050 (2010 baseline), rail freight activity equal to that of road freight by 2030, and exceeding road freight volumes by 50% by 2050. Energy efficiency road map in development, final version to be published following completion of stakeholder consultation. Annual program of expert network meetings every 3 months supported by a global conference every 2 years. |
| Comments on indicators and goals | Pledge content
According to the Paris Agreement, countries must renew or increase their commitments by the end of 2020, by amending their Nationally Determined Contributions submitted in 2015. They must correspond to the highest level of ambition possible. Therefore, UIC is committed to go further. The Railway Climate Responsibility Pledge 2019 is an extension to the Pledge signed in 2015. As an official representative of a UIC Member, I acknowledge the critical importance to take immediate action for a more sustainable future. I recognise the central role of railways in the fight against climate change. As a member of the worldwide community of railway operators and infrastructure managers, I commit to take a leading role in the actions to mitigate climate change, by reducing my company’s carbon footprint and supporting a shift towards a more sustainable balance of transport modes. In order to achieve this, I commit to: Reduce my company’s specific energy consumption and CO2 emission, and through this contribute to the UIC “Low Carbon Rail Transport Challenge”, presented in 2014 at the United Nations Climate Summit, and to the Rail Climate Responsibility Pledge, signed in 2015; Carbon Neutrality by 2050; Contribute to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). |
| How will goals be achieved | |
| Have you changed or strenghtened your goals | |
| Progress towards the goals | In 2019, UIC proposes to go one step further by aligning its 2050 CO2 emissions target to something that is becoming more and more widely shared as a consensual target to achieve the Paris Agreement: carbon neutrality by 2050 (instead of - 75% by 2050).
After COP21 77 CEOs representing the majority of the worlds rail activity have signed the UIC Climate Responsibility Pledge detailing a commitment to 4 actions; 1. to reduce specific energy consumption and CO2 emissions, and through this contribute to the “UIC Low Carbon Rail Transport Challenge” and its global 2030/2050 targets, 2. Stimulate modal shift to rail in national and international markets, 3. actively communicate climate friendly initiatives, 4. report data on specific energy consumption and CO2 emissions to UIC on a regular basis. Improvement of rail energy and CO2 intensity are currently in line with the 2030 and 2050 targets. The latest audited data (2013) indicates that specific energy consumption has reduced by 37% since 1990, and specific CO2 emissions have reduced by 30% in the same period. |
| How are you tracking progress of your initiative | Energy, CO2 and production data are collected directly from railway companies using a dedicated on line website www.co2-data.org which feeds UIC ESRS (Environmental Strategy Reporting System see http://www.uic.org/IMG/pdf/1990-2030_environment_strategy_reporting_system.pdf) and also allows railways to benchmarking their progress. These are reported annually in a joint publication with the International Energy Agency.
Data on modal share are derived from the International Energy Agency database. Energy efficiency road map in development, final version to be published following completion of stakeholder consultation. Annual program of expert network meetings every 3 months supported by a global conference every 2 years. |
| Available reporting | An annual Reporting on the initiative’s progress with third party verification of data is ongoing every year.
Please see targets here: https://uic.org/sustainable-development/energy-and-co2-emissions/railway-climate-responsibility-pledge. For detailed analysis refer to the UIC-IEA Handbook on Energy & CO2 Emissions, see https://uic.org/sustainable-development/energy-and-co2-emissions/uic-iea-railway-handbook |
Participants
| Participants | Number | Names | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Members | 207 | |||||
| Companies | 0 | |||||
| Business organisations | 207 | Association of American Railroads (USA), Australasian Centre for Rail Innovation (Australia), Administrator de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (Spain), Azerbaijan Railways (Azerbaijan), Autoritatea Feroviara Romana (Romania), Asociación latinoamericana de Ferrocarriles (Argentina), National Railroad Passenger Corporation - ARMTRAK (USA), ANESRIF (Algeria), Afghanistan Railway Authority (Afghanistan), Aqaba Railway Company (Jordan), Autorité de Régulation des Transports Ferroviaires (Gabon), Agencia Reguladora del Transporte Ferroviario (Mexico), Alliance Swiss Pass (Switzerland), Association of Swedish Train Operating Companies (Sweden), ATTICA Group (Greece), Bane NOR SF (Norway), Belarusian Railway (Belorussia), Bureau Central de Clearing (Belgium), BDZ holding EAD (Bulgaria), Beijing Jiaotong University (China), BLS AG (Switzerland), BR International Consulting Services GmbH (Austria), Bulgarian Railway Company AD (Bulgaria), Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe GmbH (Germany), Bulmarket Rail Cargo Ltd (Bulgaria), Chemins de Fer du Cameroun (Cameroun), China Academy of Railway Sciences (China), Ceské Dráhy (Check Republic), Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (Luxembourg), CFL cargo (Luxembourg), CFR CALATORI (Romania), Societatea Nationala de Transport Feroviar de Marfa (Romania), CFR SA (Romania), Syrian Railways (Syria), Agence Nationale des chemins de fer (Senegal), California High-Speed Rail Authority (USA), Coras Iompair Éireann (Ireland), Comboios de Portugal (Portugal), China State Railway Group (China), China Railway Design Corporation (China), China Railway Planning & Economic Institute Co. (China), CRRC Zhuzhou lnstitute Co. (China), Qingdao Sifang Rolling Stock Research Institute (China), SC Cargo Trans Vagon (Romania), Deutsche Bahn AG (Germany), Direktorat Jenderal Perkeretaapian - Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia (Indonesia), Victoria State Department of Transport (Australia), Department of Transportation (Philippines), Department of Rail Transport (Thailand), DSB (Denmark), ethio-Djibouti railways (Ethopia), Egyptian National Railways (Egypt), ENTUR AS (Norway), Eurorail Logistics doo (Serbia), Euskal Trenbide Sarea (Spain), Eurail B.V. (Netherlands), Société européenne pour le financement de matériel ferroviaire (Switzerland), Eurostar International Limited (United K.), Eusko Trenbideak - Ferrocarriles Vascos SA (Spain), Fundacion Caminos de hierro para la investigacion y la ingeneria ferroviaria (Spain), Fundacion de los Ferrocariles Espanoles (Spain), Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (Spain), FOXrail Zrt. (Hungary), JSC Federal Passenger Company (Russia), Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane SpA (Italy), Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (Finland), GETLINK (France), Grup Feroviar Român (Romania), Graz-Köflacher Bahn und Busbetrieb GmbH (Austria), JSC Georgian Railway (Georgia), Green Cargo AB (Sweden), Les Grands Trains du Sénégal (Senegal), GYSEV Cargo Zrt. (Hungary), Győr-Sopron-Ebenfurti Vasút Zrt. (Hungary), Harsco Rail LTD (United K.), Hit Rail B.V. (Netherlands), High Speed Two Limited (United K.), HZ Cargo (Croatia), HZ Infrastruktura (Croatia), HZ Putnicki Prijevoz (Croatia), Instytut Kolejnictwa (Poland), Isfahan Kafriz (Iran), Infrabel S.A. (Belgium), Infraestruturas de Portugal, S.A. (Portugal), Indian Railways (India), Iraqi Railways (Iraq), Israel Railways (Israel), Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (Italy), Innovációs és Technológiai Minisztérium (Hungary), Infrastructure of Serbian Railways JSC (Serbia), Jernhusen AB (Sweden), Japan Freight Railway Company (Japan), Jordan Hejaz Railways (Jordan), Central Japan Railway Company (Japan), East Japan Railway Company (Japan), West Japan Railway Company (Japan), PT. Kereta Api / Indonesian Railways (Indonesia), Korea Railroad Corporation (South Korea), Korea National Railway (South Korea), Korea Railroad Research Institute (South Korea), Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (Malaysia), Kazakhstan Railways (Kazakhstan), Valsts Akciju Sabiedriba "Latvijas Dzelzcels" (Latvia), Línea Figueras Perpignan (Spain), Libya Railway Executive Board (Libya), LINEAS (Belgium), Ligne SEA Tours-Bordeaux (France), JSC "Lithuanian Railways" (Lithuania), Indonesian Railway Society (Indonesia), MÁV Zrt. (Hungary), Russian University of Transport (Russia), Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure of UAE (United Arab Emirates), Mongolian Railway (Mongolia), MyHSR Corporation Sdn Bhd (Malaysia), National Capital Region Transport Corporation (India), Network Rail Infrastructure Limited (United K.), National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (India), Research and Design Institute for Information Technology, Signalling and Telecommunications on Railway Transport (Russia), National Railway Administration of P.R. China (China), National Railway Infrastructure Company (Bulgaria), N.V. Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Netherlands), Norske Tog AS (Norway), Österreichische Bundesbahnen (Austria), Office National des Chemins de Fer (Morocco), Optima-Tours - Reisebüro und Handels GmbH (Germany), Hellenic Railway Organization (Greece), Polskie Koleje Panstwowe S.A. (Poland), JSC "PLASKE" (Ukraine), Philippine National Railways (Philippines), Prorail (Netherlands), Public Transport Authority Western Australia (Australia), Railway Assets Corporation (Malaysia), The Railway Association of Canada/L Association des Chemins de fer du Canada (Canada), Rah Ahan-e Djomhouri-e Eslami Iran (Iran), Rail Baltica AS (Latvia), Renfe Operadora (Spain), Région Grand Est (France), Rhätische Bahn AG (Switzerland), Rail Safety & Standards Board (United K.), Railway Technical Research Institute (Japan), Rail Transport Service GmbH (Austria), JSC Russian Railways (Russia), JSC RZDstroy (Russia), Saudi Railway Company (Saudi Arabia), Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (Switzerland), South Caucasus Railways CJSC (Armenia), Société Commerciale des Transports et des Ports (Congo), Société Nationale de gestion du patrimoine du Train Express Régional (Senegal), Joint Stock Company for Freight Railway Transport “Srbija Kargo” (Serbia), JSC Serbian Railways (Serbia), JSC Passenger Railway Transport Serbia (Serbia), Société d’Exploitation du Transgabonais (Gabon), Syrian Hedjaz Railways (Syria), Société Ivoirienne de gestion du Patrimoine Ferroviaire (Ivory Coast), Transport ferroviaire de personnes et de marchandises (Ivory Coast), Statens Järnvägar AB (Sweden), Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Belges (Belgium), Société Nationale des Chemins de fer du Congo (Congo), Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (France), Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Tunisiens (Tunisia), Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière (Mauritania), Société Nationale des Transports Ferroviaires (Algeria), Société de gestion du patrimoine ferroviaire du Burkina (Burkina Faso), Sudan Railways Corporation (Sudan), State Railway of Thailand (Thailand), Stena Line Limited (United K.), StudentAgency holding a.s (Czech Republic), Southwest Jiatong University (China), Sydney Trains (Australia), SYSTRA (France), Slovenske železnice (Slovenia), Správa železnic státní organizace (Czech Republic), Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryollari Isletmesi (Turkey), Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları Taşımacılık A.S. (Turkey), Transport for New South Wales - Asset Standards Authority (Australia), Saudi Transport General Authority (Saudi Arabia), Thalys (Belgium), Taiwan High Speed Railway Corporation (Taiwan), Department of Transport & main roads (Australia), Tongji University (China), Taiwan Railways Administration (Taiwan), Swedish Transport Administration (Sweden), TrainOSE (Greece), Northern Ireland Railways Company Ltd (United K.), Gruppo Ferrovie Nord Milano (Italy), UBIMET GmbH (Austria), Ulaanbaatar Railway (Mongolia), S.C. Unicom Tranzit S.A. (Romania), Federal Railroad Administration (USA), JSC "Ukrainian Railways" (Ukraine), Via Rail Canada Inc. (Canada), Russian Railway Research Institute (Russia), Vietnam Railways (Vietnam), Vasúti Pályakapacitás-elosztó Kft (Hungary), VR Group Ltd (Finland), WESTbahn (Austria), Wiener Lokalbahnen Cargo GmbH (Austria), Željeznice Bosne I Hercegovine (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Railway Transport of Montenegro (Montenegro), Zambia Railways Ltd (Zambia), PE for Railway Infrastructure Railways of the Republic of North Macedonia (Macedonia), Željeznice Republike Srpske (Bosnia-Herzegovina), ZRSM-Transport AD Skopje (Macedonia), Železnice Slovenskej Republiky (Slovakia), Slovak Rail - Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko (Slovakia), Železničná spoločnosť Cargo Slovakia (Slovakia). | ||||
| Research and educational organisations | 0 | |||||
| Non-governmental organisations | 0 | |||||
| National states | 0 | |||||
| Governmental actors | 0 | |||||
| Regional / state / county actors | 0 | |||||
| City / municipal actors | 0 | |||||
| Intergovernmental organisations | 0 | |||||
| Financial Institutions | 0 | |||||
| Faith based organisations | 0 | |||||
| Other members | 0 | |||||
| Supporting partners | 0 | |||||
| Number of members in the years |
| |||||
| Have only national states as participators | No | |||||
Theme
| Transport | Agriculture | Forestry | Business | Financial institutions | Buildings | Industry | Waste | Cities and subnational governments | Short Term Pollutants | International maritime transport | Energy Supply | Fluorinated gases | Energy efficiency | Renewable energy | Supply chain emission reductions | Adaptation | Other | Resilience | Innovation | Energy Access and Efficiency | Private Finance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Not only have national states as participators