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Digitalising Europe’s railways
As Europe seeks to decarbonise its transport systems and to move people away from private modes of transport, its hesitance in digitalising its railways will need to be overturned.
European rail currently sits in a strong position to take advantage of the decarbonisation agenda that will only be accelerated in the decade to come. Passenger kilometres have grown by over 10 per cent in the past five years, with around 7 per cent of all transport passengers using rail, compared with just 1 per cent in the Americas. The European Green Deal will further prioritise rail travel and this initiative is being matched at the national level. In France, for example, the Government cancelled the provision of short-haul flights as a funding prerequisite for Air France, a move that will most likely drive people towards further use of rail travel. Despite this strong position, the European rail industry is partly built on antiquated legacy systems that are becoming more difficult and costly to maintain, with some railways having multiple different interlocking types, some more than a century old, and a variety of obsolete trackside technology that can no longer be maintained due to a lack of required technology or spare parts.
Features of digitalised railways such as automated interlocking, train dispatching, and incident handling have been proven to offer benefits in terms of capacity, safety, efficiency, and sustainability. The European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) legislation passed in 2000 has led to small improvements in technology, although progress to date has been slow due to the fact that a change from traditional rail to digitalised rail infrastructure requires a “big push” change rather than incremental change that can be managed over time. The regulatory system also being ill equipped for the digital environment means that migration to digital infrastructure is more difficult.
With roughly 60 per cent of the world’s train-control and traffic-management market being located in Europe, it will be incumbent on the market here to modernise along with the rest of the world. European equipment
manufacturers such as Alstom, Bombardier, Hitachi Rail STS, Siemens, and Thales have led the way in technological innovations such as moving-block technology, which allows trains to run in the sequence of brake distance, an innovation that has increased capacity by more than 20 per cent on many lines, and in fully autonomous operations, which further increase capacity and safety. These systems have been put into place in collaboration with railroad operators in commercial settings, although at a comparatively small scale when compared to the type of transformation needed.
As modernisation steps up apace, legacy technology will have to be replaced with advanced train-control and signalling systems such as ERTMS level 2 and above. In these technologies, wireless communications are used to supervise train movement. The systems currently used today use between 100 and 1,000 mechanical and electrical signal boxes, which would be replaced by new digital interlocking and control centres, of which only a few are required to control even the largest rail systems. It is hoped that the rollout of these technologies will allow railway operators to withdraw the majority of their trackside technology and that autonomous train operations will be built upon an electrified rail network.
Two studies, the first a joint study by the German Ministry of Transport and McKinsey and Company in 2018, the second a joint report by the European Commission, Ineco and EY in 2019, point to the following as the main benefits of rail electrification:
• Additional capacity: With many railways having been pushed to their limits by the increase in demand for train passenger spots, it is projected that the digitalisation of rail infrastructure will increase capacity by 20 per cent without the need for new tracks.
• Less expensive, more efficient
services: It is expected that more than 90 per cent of signal boxes will be replaced by much less control centres and that lower costs of running will result in lower track access charges. The introduction of digital train control and traffic management will increase the rail system’s availability, reliability, and punctuality.
• Enhanced technological
leadership: Automation and the harmonisation of standards across
Europe and the rail network worldwide will provide opportunity for “substantial product innovation and the chance to conquer new markets”.
• Increased environmental
sustainability: The smoother operations resultant from digitalisation, as well as the obvious lack of reliance on fossil fuels, will play a major role in the European transport system’s role in the decarbonisation targets set by the
EU.
• The chance to futureproof the
industry: It is only through the digitalisation of rail systems that train infrastructure can hope to compete with the transport industry of the future; “operators cannot hope to beat smart mobility platforms with 1920s signalling systems, 1940s level crossings, or 1960s interlocking systems”,
McKinsey and Company say.
However, Europe’s rollout of next generation rail technology has not matched the pace of other markets. Luxembourg and Switzerland have migrated their train-control and trafficmanagement systems to ERTMS levels 1 and 2, while Spain has introduced ERTMS level 2 on many lines. Danish and Swiss rail system migration has suffered many setbacks, and progress in rolling out ERTMS in large markets such as France, Germany, and Italy has been limited.
Central rail-network operations, such as France’s Commande Centralisée de Réseau and Germany’s Digitaler Bedienplatz, have plans to update a portion of their interlockings, but the timeframes in which they expect to finish (2033 and 2035 respectively) are long-term. This slow pace in Europe has allowed for other markets to catch up from a research and development point of view; China, for example, is now responsible for more than 50 per cent of global high-speed trains. China is also now investing heavily in signalling technology and is expected to compete with Europe before long.
To this end, McKinsey and Company suggest three targets for European rail infrastructure to digitalise at a rate that sets it out in front of other markets by 2050:
• Every track and train should be capable of delivering at least
ERTMS level 3, which means that more than 250,000km of lines and more than 50,000 vehicles would be equipped with new train-control and signalling systems.
• Train operations should be capable of achieving the highest possible grade of automation, level 4, which would enable an entire operation to exist without train drivers (and with appropriately equipped stations) on 100 per cent of high-speed trains and 30 per cent of local trains.
• Automated coupling and shunting should also be implemented in rail freight in all major shunting stations and yards and for 100 per cent of the rolling stock.
Powering sustainability: Networked gas key to reducing heavy transport emissions
Ireland’s road to netzero transport
Transport currently accounts for 42 per cent of Ireland’s energy use, making it the country’s largest source of energy demand. It is also one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonise.
In particular, heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and buses generate 30 per cent of road transport emissions despite accounting for just 4 per cent of vehicles on Irish roads.
Proven global technologies, such as compressed natural gas (CNG), and renewable gases, including biomethane and hydrogen, can all play a part in helping decarbonise Ireland’s transport sector.
CNG: Cleaner, affordable, and proven
CNG reliably delivered through the national gas network is key to driving sustainable supply chains and is the first step towards net-zero commercial transport in Ireland.
CNG involves the deployment of technologies which deliver gas that has been compressed to high pressures (over 200 bar). It is typically used as a transport fuel and is particularly suitable for use in commercial vehicles where electric solutions are not a viable option. The gas used can be either natural or renewable gas that meets the network specifications. CO2 emissions by up to 23 per cent compared to diesel (CENEX, 2019) and nitrous oxide (NOx) by up to 50 per cent (UK Department of Transport, 2018).
The highest emissions savings were achieved under specific conditions, loads and vehicles – in particular, longhaul and regional drive cycles – making natural and renewable gases the ideal fuels for decarbonising Ireland’s HGV and bus fleets.
Furthermore, fuelling commercial vehicles with natural gas can also reduce transport costs by up to 35 per cent (Cadent, 2016). A proven, reliable and affordable alternative to diesel, Ireland’s CNG vehicle numbers grew more than 50 per cent in 2020, as the number in Europe passed two million and the number worldwide exceeded 28 million.
Renewable gas in transport
While immediate carbon emissions reductions for commercial fleets can be realised by switching to natural gas today, more significant savings can be realised through renewable gases such as biomethane and hydrogen.
In 2019, Ireland began its journey to a net-zero carbon gas network, with the introduction of domestically produced biomethane into the national network in Cush, County Kildare, Ireland’s first renewable gas injection point.
Biomethane is a carbon neutral renewable gas produced from farm and food waste through a process known as anaerobic digestion. It is largely identical to natural gas and is fully compatible with the existing gas network and CNG vehicles.
A key feature of the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy, the European Commission identified Ireland as having the most potential per capita to produce biomethane and enhance security of supply.
Establishing a renewable gas industry in Ireland will also support additional jobs and income streams in local communities. Planning permission for Ireland’s second renewable gas injection point near Mitchelstown in County Cork was granted in 2020.
This means that as the volume of renewable gas on the network increases, vehicles refuelling from the national gas network will increasingly reduce their carbon footprint without needing to change a thing.
Irish companies are now developing sustainable circular economies by purchasing renewable gas made from their own waste to power their operations and vehicles.
In 2020, VisionGreen Logistics Solutions Ltd, became the first logistics company in Ireland to make carbon neutral retail deliveries with trucks fuelled by renewable gas made from farm and food waste, while Kerry County Council became the first local authority in Ireland to trial a carbon neutral HGV powered by renewable gas, sustainably transporting road salt from County Tipperary.
Hydrogen in transport
Hydrogen is a carbon free gas that produces no CO2 emissions and can significantly improve air quality in towns and cities.
Ireland’s gas network is one of the safest and most modern ‘hydrogen-ready’ gas networks in Europe. Blends of up to 20 per cent hydrogen could be transported on the existing gas network and used in existing appliances, technologies, and vehicles, with minimal disruption and upfront cost to customers. Pure 100 per cent hydrogen can be transported with some modifications.
Gas Networks Ireland has established a Hydrogen Innovation Centre in Dublin to ensure the safe transportation, storage and use of hydrogen on the national network, and is collaborating on a variety of hydrogen research initiatives to assess various applications for hydrogen, including its use in transport.
Hydrogen can be produced from renewable electricity and stored indefinitely, making it an attractive option to decarbonise energy systems and a strong example of how greater cohesion between our gas and electricity systems can drive a cleaner energy future for Ireland.
Ireland’s CNG refuelling network
to play in decarbonising the transport sector and is actively rolling out a network of CNG refuelling stations nationally in partnership with Ireland’s forecourt operators and hauliers.
Currently there are CNG refuelling stations located at Circle K’s forecourts in Dublin Port and Cashel, with two more set to open in the summer of 2021 in Dublin and Limerick. There is a fifth station under construction in Cavan and a further eight in planning and development. Three private CNG stations are also in operation.
CNG Vehicle Grant Schemes
There is almost €5 million available to support Irish fleet operators in choosing a cleaner fuel option.
On 1 March 2021, Gas Networks Ireland launched a €2.9 million CNG Vehicle Grant Scheme to support the purchase of up to 400 new vehicles. This funding will help Irish fleet operators and hauliers to transition to new, cleaner CNG vehicles and support the decarbonisation of Ireland’s transport sector.
Co-financed by the EU’s TEN-T Programme under the Connecting Europe Facility as part of the Green Connect Project, the grants cover 20 per cent of the difference between CNG and diesel-powered vehicles with a maximum amount of €5,000 available to applicants per vehicle.
The maximum amount of financial support available to an applicant under the scheme is €60,000, supporting the purchase of up to 12 vehicles. Grants can be used towards the costs of vehicles registered from 2020 and is open to applications across a range of commercial vehicles including HGVs, buses and vans powered by CNG. Applications are now being accepted at www.gasnetworks.ie/cngvehiclegrant.
On 15 March 2021, the Department of Transport launched a €2 million Alternatively Fuelled Heavy Duty Vehicle (AFHDV) Purchase Grant Scheme, which will cover between 40 per cent and 60 per cent of the price differential, with a maximum 20 vehicles or €500,000 available to any one applicant. Grants can be used towards the future purchase of more sustainable vehicles, including gas and electric vehicles.
E: cng@gasnetworks.ie W: www.gasnetworks.ie/cng T: 1800 411 511
Safe routes to school
In March 2021, a new Safe Routes to School programme was collaboratively launched by Transport Minister Eamon Ryan TD, Minister of State at the Department of Transport Hildegarde Naughton TD and Education Minister Norma Foley TD.
Representing the next phase of the Government’s investment in active travel, the programme is intended to support the delivery of improved active travel infrastructure for selected schools. As indicated by the Department of Transport, these improvements can range from upgrading existing footpaths or constructing a new cycle lane to a redevelopment of a school entrance.
The programme’s central objective is to establish safer walking and cycling routes to alleviate congestion in the vicinity of schools and increase the number of students opting to walk or cycle to school.
Funded by the Department of Transport, through the National Transport Agency (NTA), the Government has allocated over €15 million to deliver Safe Routes to School projects at over 100 schools in 2021. The programme is also supported by the Department of Education and is coordinated by An Taisce’s Green Schools, while local authorities “will play a key part in delivering the infrastructure along access routes and at the school gate”. In seeking to implement the programme, seven additional jobs across An Taisce and the NTA have been created, alongside 248 new active travel positions announced by the Department of Transport.
Eligibility is extended to all schools, with participation aligned to a set of criteria which includes “school type, location and school’s commitment to sustainable travel”.
Selected schools and local authorities will then collaborate with a designated infrastructure officer from Green Schools to plan and deliver the improved infrastructure, while schools which are not successful may reapply at a later point.
Minister Ryan outlined: “Schoolchildren need more than hi-vis vests to get to schools safely. They need proper infrastructure to make walking cycling and scooting a practical choice for families. The first phase of Safe Routes to School will help deliver these facilities by fast tracking segregated infrastructure and providing front of school treatments to improve access and prevent congestion. Helping children get to school safely under their own steam is better for their health and development and better for the environment.”
Similarly, Education Minister Norma Foley emphasised the opportunity to create healthier and more sustainable travel options, adding: “Being active is a key component of wellbeing, and this initiative will help our schools to promote active and safe travel for all students.”
NTA CEO Anne Graham asserted: “The project being announced today is a significant step in encouraging young people to use more sustainable modes of transport, particularly when going to school. We want to see more young people cycling, walking/scooting to school, but we understand that safety is a concern.
“In this first phase of ‘Safe Routes to School’, we will address this by providing better infrastructure for these young people. This year alone, work on projects will get under way in over 100 schools around the country.”
Bus Éireann: Delivering passenger growth and satisfaction
Stephen Kent
Bus Éireann Chief Executive Officer Stephen Kent speaks to eolas about the national bus company’s new services, its transition to electric and hydrogenpowered vehicles, and the opportunities in recovering from Covid-19.
“In Bus Éireann we are proud to have a unique insight into the role and importance of public transport in Irish life, right throughout the country,” says Stephen Kent, the national bus company’s Chief Executive Officer. “From primary school children taking their first steps to independence by taking one of our dedicated school buses, to students taking Expressway to college, the person travelling to employment and home again throughout their working life, people shopping and socialising, right through to people who have retired and now hold the free travel pass, Bus Éireann is there throughout with a mix of services to keep Ireland connected.”
Bus Éireann operates the most extensive public transport network in the country, serving almost 90 million passengers in 2019 across 82 million kilometres, with operations in 17 depots and 2,700 employees. The company, supported by the National Transport Authority, operates Public Service Obligation routes across the city networks of Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, Greater Dublin Area commuter services, town services in Athlone, Balbriggan, Drogheda, Dundalk, Navan, Sligo and county services. It also has a commercial wing, the country’s largest intercity service, Expressway, and operates the national School Transport Scheme on behalf of the Department of Education.
“Our challenge is to provide services and experiences that convert these school kids and students to life-long loyalty to bus public transport. It may seem a strange time to say this, given the huge financial impact of Covid-19 on public transport operators, but I don’t think there’s been a more exciting time to be working in this sector,” continues Stephen Kent. “The convergence of environmental, economic and social goals is creating opportunities for us, while expectations have probably never been higher either.”
Sustainability, driving change
Bus Éireann’s focus is now on 2030 and achieving its sustainability goals, having made important progress throughout 2020. The national bus company is targeting a 30 per cent increase in passenger numbers, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half within the next nine years. In 2020, Bus Éireann was proud to trial the first hydrogen-powered bus in passenger service in Ireland and is preparing for three double-deck hydrogen fuelled buses to be deployed this year. Galway’s city fleet will be fully hybrid by the end of the year and the Athlone town service will convert to electric-only in 2022.
“We know that no new diesel bus will be added to our urban fleet. Working closely with the NTA, these initiatives will help us to chart the path forward to determine what technology will be the most appropriate on all kinds of different routes,” explains Stephen Kent. “What is already very clear is that in our challenge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half, the vehicle is just the most apparent change, but more profound transformation will precipitate behind the scenes.
“We are assessing the implications for the locations and power supplies of all our depots. Currently, all our vehicles, whether Bus Éireann city and town services, Expressway interregional or school transport use the same fuel and rely on the combustion engine for power. We have 300 highly skilled and valued craftworkers and are devising training programmes to support their change to working on electric-powered vehicles.
Our people are at the centre of the contribution we can make to Ireland’s sustainability agenda,” continues Stephen Kent.
Passenger growth
Turning to the other side of the equation, Bus Éireann’s target to grow passenger numbers is also important to Ireland’s climate action goals. Even now, bus and coach travel is inherently more sustainable as it emits up to one-fifth the carbon dioxide per passenger kilometre compared to private cars. Modern diesel engines emit 90 per cent less nitrous oxides than they did in 2000. Getting more people to think bus instead of car can be a quick win.
“We have proof now of the effectiveness of additional investment and service improvement. Significant improvements in services to regional cities were made in 2018 and 2019, with the support of the NTA. Frequency was increased, 24hour services were introduced in Cork, an entirely new network for Waterford, and reliability improved. We saw passenger numbers grow by up to 70 per cent within 12 months of these initiatives, a demonstration of the latent demand for bus services,” explains Stephen Kent.
Delivering passenger growth while maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction has always been the focus, but now Bus Éireann has a third target –promoting and helping to deliver significant modal shift away from the private car in all parts of the countryside. Bus Éireann sees bus services playing the major role.
“We often talk about the inherent flexibility of bus transport. I think 2020 showcased that in ways we wouldn’t have wished for, but from which we have learned so much about what is possible,” continues Stephen Kent. “Since the pandemic hit in March 2020, when demand collapsed by 90 per cent, we have scaled schedules back and restored them again. We have implemented public health restriction guidelines from two-metre social distancing on board, to 25 per cent capacity, to 50 per cent capacity and back again – and sometimes operated at different capacity levels in different parts of the country during localised lockdowns.
Improved services
“We added three million km annually to our services within four months of funding approval, and created 120 jobs, thanks to the National Transport Authority and the July Stimulus package,” continues Stephen Kent. “At more or less the same time, we increased what was already Europe’s largest school transport scheme by a quarter, to almost 9,000 dedicated routes, to provide 50 per cent social distancing capacity on post-primary routes. These are initiatives that demonstrate the flexibility which has been achieved throughout our operation, our focus on the customer and overall efficiency.”
The performance and resilience of the entire Bus Éireann team during the pandemic has accentuated our commitment to providing a public service and ensuring connectivity when people relied on public transport most. “We are very conscious that in our sustainability targets we have committed Bus Éireann to very positive transformation which will deliver far reaching benefits to the communities we serve. The Covid-19 crisis has really tested our people, our partners, and stakeholders but there has been fantastic collaboration to keep our essential services on the road, safely. It gives me great optimism about what we can achieve together in the coming years, delivering safe, more frequent and reliable services, to more people, with less environmental impact and with an even more diverse workforce,” he concludes.
Bus Éireann services introduced/improved in 2020
Clare
Increase in frequency between Ennis and West Clare, linking towns of Kilkee, Doonbeg and Lahinch for the first time
Cork
New cross city service linking Glanmire with CUH via the city centre, frequency increased to three services an hour
Greater Dublin Major revision of all commuter timetables to improve punctuality and reliability
Drogheda Frequency increased with two new routings Combined 15 minute frequency, seven days a week
Dundalk Linking Baltray, Clogher and Termonfeckin directly to Dundalk for the first time
Limerick Frequency doubled on a route, more services and the route extended
Mayo/Galway First year round connection between Clifden and Westport Improved services to Blacksod, Belmullet and Ballina Seven daily weekday services to Louisburgh and Achill
Navan
First town service, two routes, operating every 30 minutes seven days a week
Tipperary Daily bus service linking Portroe with Limerick and Nenagh for the first time
W: www.buseireann.ie Twitter: @Buseireann
