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We compared land transport options for getting to net zero. Hands down, electric rail is the best.
(theconversation.com)
this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2024
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Coming from a transport modeller, the title of this article is incredibly flawed, and the write up should row back a bit.
The study itself seems great; looking in detail at the carbon cost of a transport mode throughout its lifecycle. However, it emphatically shouldn't be used to inform transport policy on its own.
This will have a focus on the UK, as this is what I'm familiar with.
Rail schemes, particularly heavy rail, has massively high start up costs due to all the engineering that has to go in place (because if rail goes wrong, it tends to go very wrong, and so the rail industry and legislation is naturally very cautious).
We don't just need to get to net zero; we need to get to net zero fast. Bus rapid transit is much faster to get off the ground, and can be electrified by putting batteries in and having quick charging at certain stops and, crucially, has a capx that a cash strapped local government is more likely to swallow.
BRT is easier to get going, but still is way less effecient than an electrified tram. Trams usually won't need to charge as they can be wired full time or charge on sections that are wired.
Local governments are cash strapped because of our ridiculous roads (north american perspective). The average neighbourhood doesn't generate enough taxes to maintain their infrastructure. We need to fix that as well through changing the way we build and tax land in our cities.
OK so a massive tax hike to pay for it but how much coverage is the Tram network going to have? And is it a 24 hour service? What capacity should it have, how many people will need to travel at peek times?
If you want to cover everywhere and serve everyone when needed then you need a big network of trams that sync somewhat conveniently for passengers, due to the nature of the infrastructure this means you'll be running a lot of unused capacity most the time especially if usage patterns change.
This is why busses are more popular with transport authorities outside high volume consistent use routes, the bus routes in my area change regularly to match demand. There's also a considerable portion of journeys that are unsuitable for tram or bus, taking trash to the tip or collecting six small trees for example.
There are solutions to these issues but we need to be aware of the problems that need solving and work towards intermediary steps so transition is possible. What we build now should be working towards an integrated transit network that's able to evolve towards efficient and complete mass transit where and when appropriate. Trams have places they work really well, we should be identifying them and highlighting them, pushing for trams everywhere is a mistake though.
Anywhere a BRT is viable is likely able to support a tram. Longer distances than that and light rail starts becoming feasable. Long hauls can be done by high speed rail.
A no point did i say to rip out every car lane so you can still do your landscaping and dump runs.
A 24 hour service would be nice where demand can support it. Not every run has to be profitable, some runs will always be busier than others but transit shouldn't be about profits, it should be about connectivity.