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FEATURE
RAILSTAFF MAY-JUNE 2021
ARQ RENEWS FOCUS ON
DECARBONISATION
D
ecarbonisation will be a significant focus for the rail industry over the next 30 years as the UK Government aims to remove all diesel-only trains by 2040, with a legally binding commitment to net-zero carbon by 2050. The railway has recognised that, collectively, we must do more to be part of the solution to climate change.
Network Rail estimates that to decarbonise our rail network completely, 13,000 single track kilometres will need to be electrified by 2050 - approximately 450 kilometres every year - to achieve net-zero; however, it has been identified that only 251 kilometres was electrified from 2019-2020. To help Network Rail deliver these targets, a new collaborative partnership - comprising three leading rail companies within the Renew Holdings Group - has been launched. AmcoGiffen, REL (Rail Electrification Limited) and QTS together form ARQ - a truly integrated self-delivery model for the UK rail network as it moves closer to achieving these electrification and decarbonisation targets. ARQ will play its part in meeting the challenges set to industry by Network Rail in response to the decarbonisation agenda.
COMING TOGETHER Individually, each of the businesses has been providing expert services in their respective disciplines to enable electrification programmes across the country throughout Control Periods 5 and 6. By coming together
© Lawrence McEwan
Vinny O'Holloran
as a unique family, the ARQ partnership will offer an unprecedented in-house delivery model covering the full range of railway engineering services required for future electrification schemes. Andries Liebenberg is the Executive Director responsible for Renew Holdings’ rail activities. He said: “The Department for Transport, Transport Scotland and Transport for Wales - through Network Rail - have set very demanding targets for the industry. One of the key challenges is that of affordability. It is clear that the rate of cost increase on typical electrification projects is no longer sustainable. In addition, development lifecycles are getting longer while not always delivering the desired outcomes. “ARQ has the ambition to be an integral part of the solution and the future of decarbonisation of the UK rail network. “This is a partnership that is ideally structured to meet the targets which have been set to the industry by Network Rail. ARQ’s significant differentiator is that it will work in partnership as a unified family of companies, each bringing their unique skills and self-delivering the broad scope of what makes up any rail system.”
ALL BASES COVERED ARQ offers a complete delivery model with a flat structure and reporting lines, with directly employed specialist teams, supported by an extensive plant fleet. Through this, it has the ability to reduce or remove the oftenRAILSTAFF.CO.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF
