East West Rail Co’s green claims questioned
On the day that the East West Railway Company (EWRCo) announced a third non-statutory consultation over plans for the extension of the new railway between Bedford and Cambridge, campaigners at Stop the Arc Group (STARC) have called the company's latest green claims into question. The group is calling for those claims to be investigated by parliament's Environmental Audit Committee. Other groups concerned by EWRCo’s plans are making the same demands.
Campaign group STARC says building East West Rail will create more carbon emissions than it saves. (Photo: LNER)
'EWRCo have proudly claimed that “hybrid” electrification of their new railway will deliver sustainable low-carbon journeys. But it will only deliver a small number of such journeys by train. By promoting massive growth in housing developments, it will create far more high-carbon car journeys,' said Nick Burton of STARC. 'EWRCo say the new railway will support the UK's transition to an overall net zero carbon economy. It won't. The carbon emissions generated by its construction and by new residents' car journeys will render the carbon savings worthless.'
EWRCo's proposals for discontinuous electrification of the new railway are not detailed, but refer to operating trains partly on battery power, and partly on overhead power. The carbon cost of the trains themselves, or the batteries, are not taken into account in the company's green calculations. Neither is the cost of bridges, viaducts or moving spoil off site.
Campaigner William Harrold of Cambridge Approaches has used EWRCo's and the government's own data to cast major doubts on the new railway’s green credentials. Calculations show the carbon savings created by rail travel is massively outweighed by the carbon cost of building the railway.
'EWRCo predict that only some 500 Cambridge daily commuters a day would use the railway today. But the CO2 saving from this is massively outweighed by the embedded carbon from construction,' said William. 'EWR's model shows the electrified railway would save annual CO2 emissions equivalent to those of just two average domestic homes per year. But the National Audit Office (NAO) said 70,000 homes were planned to support the business case. Overall, the impact of the railway isn't a contribution to a net zero economy, it's a threat,' he said.
STARC is requesting that EWRCo's green case is examined by the Environmental Audit Committee and has approached two members who are local MPs – Blake Stephenson – Mid Beds and Pippa Haylings – South Cambs. 'Two non-statutory consultations have already dragged out the planning process, and failed to find the public support EWRCo need, where they need it. They've now launched a third consultation, this time with green icing on their proposals,' said Charles Pither, Chair of STARC. 'Their green claims are unaudited and clearly flawed. EWRCo should not be putting those claims to the public before they are independently verified. That's why we're asking the Environmental Audit Committee to put EWR at the top of its agenda.'