Britain’s HS2 rail wants to reduce 50 per cent carbon emissions
HS2, Britain’s new high speed train has set a 50 per cent carbon reduction target, making it UK’s first to achieve the global PAS 2080 accreditation. PAS 2080 is a global specification standard that has been developed to provide a consistent framework for evaluating and managing carbon emissions across the whole infrastructure value chain. HS2 would be the second in the world to achieve PAS 2080.
“HS2 is playing a crucial role in supporting the UK’s green economic recovery and ensuring the UK is on track to achieve its commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” says Peter Miller, HS2’s Environment Director. ” By leading the way in delivering more sustainable solutions HS2 will leave a positive green legacy for generations to come.”
PAS 2080 was developed by the Construction Leadership Council’s Green Construction Board with the British Standards Institute (BSI). The standard is set to recognize the strategies that organizations have placed to reduce carbon, development of working collaboration promoting innovations, delivering social and community benefits, and tackling climate change.
HS2
HS2’s wants to achieve carbon reduction through its carbon management program, design innovation, construction and operation. PAS 2080 applies on assets such as tunnels, viaducts and cuttings, along with stations and the railway system and encouraging the supply chain to innovate. The railway has been developed to cut emissions, minimise resource consumption and using low carbon alternatives to reduce its carbon footprint.
The structural design team have run tests and found that using 27 per cent less steel to build the roof of Old Oak Common station would achieve a cost saving of 7 million British pounds. It would be a steel reduction total of over 1,000 tonnes, which is equivalent to a 2,700-tonne reduction in carbon emissions.
100 tonnes of carbon emissions will be cut with UK’s first electric zero-emission forklift that will be introduced on construction lines and with the roll-out of the world’s first solar and hydrogen-powered welfare cabins for the workers. In addition, HS2 will cut carbon emissions by replacing 70 lorries per freight delivery over the next ten years.
Eco-friendly stations
The railway will operate trains which will be energy-efficiently powered by a grid that uses energy from zero-carbon sources, such as solar and wind generation. It has been predicted that future HS2 journeys will be run on a 100 per cent zero-carbon supplying grid. Furthermore, the four eco-friendly stations between London and Crewe on the HS2 line will be sustainably designed to utilise renewable energy technologies to minimize carbon.
“By offering a low-carbon alternative to road and air travel, HS2 will play a key role in driving forward the UK’s green economic recovery and our transition to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” adds HS2 Minister, Andrew Stephenson.
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