Business travellers will soon have access to a calculator that will provide them with detailed, accurate, and reliable data on the environmental benefits and carbon emissions of their rail journey when they purchase their ticket.
The carbon calculator results from an innovative partnership between the rail industry, carbon tech giant Thrust Carbon, and rail data experts Fabrik. The Rail Delivery Group has tasked these companies with creating a rail carbon calculator that offers detailed figures on the carbon emissions of a rail journey.
This is the first time that detailed data on emissions has been measured top to assess the environmental impact of rail travel. Data measured includes engine type, type of fuel, exact journey distance, occupancy, and carriage layout.
The rail carbon calculator forms part of the rail industry's Green Travel Pledge, which commits to encouraging more business travellers to take the train instead of more-polluting alternatives such as cars or planes.
First results from the carbon calculator will be demonstrated in the Rail Zone at the Business Travel Show Europe 2023 next Wednesday, 28th June, following which it will be gradually rolled out to businesses later this year, providing companies with data on their carbon emissions figures for rail journeys across Britain.
Jacqueline Starr, chief executive officer at the Rail Delivery Group which is leading the development of the Green Travel Pledge on behalf of the rail industry, said: “I'm delighted we've been able to combine decades of rail data experience from Fabrik with the widely-respected carbon emissions expertise of Thrust Carbon.
“The rail industry has a vital role to play in helping the country achieve carbon net zero. The Green Travel Pledge is being developed in partnership with industry experts and the wider business travel community to allow us to demonstrate the environmental credentials of rail travel.
“Businesses have been eager to have access to such a carbon-credible benchmark for rail travel for a long time.
“This tool has been designed by the business travel community, for the business travel community, and we are looking forward to rolling out its full functionality for multiple routes later this year.”
Kit Brennan, Founder and Head of Product at Thrust Carbon, said: “We're thrilled to be developing a revolutionary new emissions methodology for the rail industry.
“It'll be capable of generating precise emissions calculations based on the model of train, whether travel is in first or standard class, and much more. To our knowledge, this is a first in the world of rail and mirrors best practice found in advanced methodologies in the airline industry. Businesses always knew that rail was the greenest way to travel; but for the first time they'll know just how much greener!”
Rachael Woods, Founder of Fabrik Design and Communications Ltd, said: “It's great to be able to use our rail expertise to help businesses to reduce the environmental impact of business travel. The rail industry has a wealth of data available so it makes complete sense that we would use this to help businesses demonstrate the sustainability benefits of travelling by train.”
The carbon output for an individual on a rail journey will be entirely dependent on how many people are on the train – and this number will vary during the journey as people get on and off. I don’t see how this variable number will be built into the calculator to “generate the precise emissions calculations” claimed.