Deutsche Bahn to become carbon neutral by 2050
Solar panels along the tracks of Nuremberg S-Bahn in Bavaria, source: Deutsche Bahn AG / Claus Weber
German national railway operator Deutsche Bahn is planning to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. To this end, it will totally convert its traction energy that will be generated from renewable sources. In terms of rolling stock, DB will phase out all the diesel trains and locomotives. They will be replaced with hydrogen and battery vehicles.
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British Rail was still building steam engines in 1960 but following the 1955 modernization plan replaced most of them with diesel trains in 1962-66 with the last one in 1968,diesel trains will be banned in the UK in 20 years by 2040,more lines have been electrified in Germany than in the UK so Deutsche Bahn probably needs to replace less trains than British Rail did in the late 1950s and 60s and will be in Britain by 2040 so why will it take 30 years ? The target doesn’t seem ambitious enough.
I see the problem in the comparison of electricity and diesel costs. We could electrified 100 % of the network and ban the diesel engines on rail, but it would only lead to shift from rail to road. First we must solve the real problems of railways – reliability, capacity and other factors key for customers. Not spend money on electrification of useless local lines.