13 minute read
Rail Professional Interview
In the Summer of 2021, Sam Sherwood-Hale spoke to Peter Cole, Principal Environmental and Sustainability Officer at Transport for the North about decarbonisation, the transport issues facing the North and how society can adapt to environmental challenges
Transport for the North (TfN) became England’s first Sub-national Transport Body in April 2018. TfN brings the North’s Local Transport Authorities and business leaders together, enabling our region to speak with one voice on the transport infrastructure investment needed to drive transformational growth and rebalance the UK economy. TfN works with Network Rail, Highways England, and HS2 Ltd, and as a statutory partner to the Department for Transport, its recommendations are formally considered by Government when important transport decisions about the North are being taken.
Have you had a chance to read the Government’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan, presumably they consulted with people at your level so you already know what will be in the Plan?
They have spoken to us. We participated in a number of workshop sessions with local authorities and specifically with the sub national transport bodies. But that was a one-way process so we had some input but there wasn’t a lot of dialogue. I don’t think there’s any massive surprise in that it’s quite technology focused, the government are very pro-choice which is a positive as one of the main conclusions that came out of the UK citizen’s climate assembly was that choice should be maintained.
From what I have seen, we’re really going hard on HGVs by bringing forward the date for LGVs to be introduced so decarbonising vans is a really big thing. The Transport for the North podcast that you did last year discussed how the first and last mile challenges in the North are unique to the area. Would there be deference to local authorities to make decisions that are more relevant to the unique topography of some areas?
Every single place in the UK is fairly unique actually, although I think the North does have some particularly unique issues. There are a large number of deprived areas and low-income communities, so the work patterns reflect that with many people working shift patterns. We also have a really hilly topography and a less than stellar climate, but we also have a lot of national parks in the North such as the Peak District and Yorkshire Dales, as well as areas of outstanding national beauty.
Over a third of road emissions come from three per cent of trips which are over 35 miles, which is a really significant amount of emissions to tackle so we’re looking to work with rural authorities to understand how we tackle those cross boundary trips.
A Decarbonisation Strategy for the North of England sets out the ambitious target of nearzero carbon emissions from surface transport by 2045. Tell me a little about the strategy and how rail comes into the mix.
We partnered with the region’s leaders and agreed the direction of travel, and the ambition, in terms of transport decarbonisation for the region as a whole. This is about collectively ensuring the entire region can decarbonise its surface transport and acknowledging that transport and travel by its nature is cross boundary. So, having
agreed a trajectory, we’ve developed as part of that strategy four baseline scenarios. We’ve identified the policy gaps in relation to all of them and carried out a policy analysis to understand how the effort needed to bridge those gaps actually translates into national and local actions. So, in terms of filling those policy gaps, the pathways we’ve identified suggest a need to reduce emissions from rail by 25 per cent by 2030 to 75 per cent by 2035 and 100 per cent by 2040.
So, at first review that is slightly more ambitious than the current government target which is 100 per cent of diesel off the rails by 2040 but I believe that still allows for the use hybrids, so our ambitions do go beyond that. Obviously, rail has a really important part to play in modal shift so improving our rail services which includes the physical infrastructure and the locomotives, but also things like the flexibility of the fares we offer, so rail plays a really sort of intrinsic part.
The final part to mention would be rail freight, as there are certain assumptions around how to shift a proportion of freight to rail. One of the things we have identified as an action for ourselves is to work with the government to sequence and prioritise the programme of electrification for the North. Freight has to be electrified, and I think that was acknowledged in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan but we also need to look for the gaps in electrification which are causing the real issues at the moment. We have a really good relationship with Network Rail, they sit on our board and Great British railways will too, and we envisage still partnering with the government to sequence that work in the best way possible, because we’ve got the local knowledge and the local inputs from partners and the TOCs that are currently operating.
What effect will coming legislative changes have on the different programmes you’re developing? How do your goals match with what the government will require?
I think the specifics around Northern Powerhouse Rail provide a massive opportunity to electrify as part of what we’re doing, it would of course be a lost opportunity if we didn’t, so that is an essential component of the overall decarbonisation picture that we are putting into play. However, decarbonisation isn’t the only game in town, we have to weigh up the social and economic benefits of what we do, assigning carbon a true value. But clearly all of those public transport interventions are supportive of decarbonisation and encouraging behavioural change generally as well. You can look at schemes in terms of ownership, you can look at the amount of cars that would be displaced onto the train, but actually the most important element is the potential for the future. You’ve got to make sure that you do development in the right way, which is mainly about putting infrastructure in place first and then being able to build around it in a sustainable way. That’s where wider behavioural change and nudging people to make more sustainable choices comes in.
You’ve been working on environmental issues as a consultant for 20 years now. How much of what you’ve done has focussed on modal shift in terms of changing people’s behaviours?
My experience has been mostly around environmental appraisal and assessment schemes. So, as part of that, you strive to understand the carbon footprint of what you’re doing. Since I joined Transport for the North in 2020, my focus has been much more on decarbonisation. But I think having worked in that broader environmental field, being able to have that understanding of the wider social and environmental impacts, assessment, and the appraisal processes, allows you to connect the dots. I think a good practical example of that is
on NPR where I’ve been working with NPR colleagues to embed the consideration of carbon and natural capital into our appraisal processes on that project.
If you consider the legal obligations the population had to follow around social distancing during the height of Covid. This concept of just hoping people will behave in a certain way is becoming more fluid. So, rather than being required to by law, what are some things you’re looking at that would help people make that shift towards using more trains?
There is a big difference. Obviously, there are parallels between what happened during the pandemic and what is going to be required in terms of climate change, in terms of the fundamental overhaul. In terms of the way we travel, and the ability of people to adapt to that when they need to, there is that parallel there but there is a really big, big difference. The safety measures implemented over the last couple of years are predominantly about protecting others whilst decarbonising involves savings across the board.
As an example, eventually adopting electric vehicles will be something that
Northern leaders call on DfT to release funding for TfN
Political and business leaders across the North are calling on ministers to provide clarity on future funding for Transport for the North (TfN) to allow it to continue working on vital plans to improve connectivity across the region and help unlock economic potential. orthern leaders have expressed their “grave concern” that with only weeks of this financial year left TfN is still waiting for confirmation of its funding for the next three years.
Cllr Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council and Vice-Chair of Transport for the North, has written to the Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps calling for an urgent meeting to resolve the situation.
Cllr Gittins said: ‘At its meeting held [on Tuesday 25 January] the TfN Board expressed its grave concern at the continued lack of certainty with regards to its core funding.
‘The Board was concerned to note the implications this is having on TfN’s ability to deliver its agreed programme of work, and the consequential implications the continued uncertainty has for the health and well-being of staff.’
Transport for the North employs around 120 staff and has offices in Manchester and Leeds. It works with local authorities, business leaders and the Government to identify how best to direct investment in the Northern transport network to boost the economy for the people in the region and the country as a whole.
Transport for the North launches new podcast series
Transport for the North has launched a new podcast series to showcase the region’s business sector and highlight the importance of transport investment to enable growth and boost productivity. Through conversations with business and political leaders, the ‘Business Matters’ series aims to shine a light on the North of England’s successes and ambitions, and outline how improved transport and digital connectivity can support the region in realising its economic potential.
The first episode is out now and features an interview with Peter Kennan, TfN Board Member for South Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Private Sector Co-Chair of the Transport & Environment Board at South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.
He highlights the key assets of South Yorkshire and the North of England in attracting businesses to set up shop or expand their operations, noting the impressive talent pool that organisations can tap into, and the attraction of lower cost of living, better quality of life, and strong sense of community for the people who live and work here.
The episode also covers Peter’s thoughts on the national policies that will support economic growth in the region, offers his insight on the opportunities for doing business differently through the Covid-19 pandemic, and talks about the role of TfN in bringing the region together to speak with one voice.
‘Transport is a true facilitator of growth and productivity, and it’s so important that we continue to invest in it for our people and businesses’ Peter said.
‘In our Strategic Economic Plan for a fairer, greener South Yorkshire we want to unlock the potential of people, business and places and grow our economy. To make the most of the opportunities ahead of us we need a world-class transport network across all modes.’
The first ‘Business Matters’ podcast, and all previous episodes, are available at: www. transportforthenorth.com/news/ podcast/ and can also be found directly on Soundcloud and Spotify. people will do not just out of the goodness of their hearts, it will be something that makes financial sense for them too.
As an individual you do have the power to make changes in your own life that can have a bigger impact than people realise. Consider the amount of space we give up to cars in cities, whilst it is hard to see what can replace the car in terms of active travel in the countryside. How does your remit split focus between urban issues and rural issues?
Our first focus is to make sure that there isn’t a market failure or an area that gets forgotten about, I think we’re already aware that our rural areas and smaller towns have really distinct challenges. We know the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Liverpool and Newcastle have all got action plans that are fairly well advanced, but we know that a lot of our rural areas are still somewhat behind that curve.
Does this come from collaboration with other local transport authorities because I imagine there’s more to discuss when concerning urban areas as each city’s challenges may be more unique than the rural areas in the country?
As we’re made up of 20 different authorities, we can often have direct one to one discussions, and a lot of these conversations have been through our combined authorities so we can focus on both urban and rural aspects. So, West Yorkshire, but also North Yorkshire, York, for example, and Cumbria as well.
What does building back greener or building back better mean to you?
As the wheels of our economy and our society start to turn again, I think it’s about doing some things differently to how we did before, particularly around how we travel, which I realise, seems like a tall order at the moment but it’s about understanding and optimising the real benefits that can come as a result of clean green travel. As you mentioned before, there’s some very real financial opportunities floating out of that clean growth agenda. We need to start pivoting the focus of our manufacturing equipment and adult workforce to really take advantage of that.
Do you think a work from home culture will take hold?
It is an interesting question, I don’t see working from home as an elixir. What we’re seeing is that a large proportion of people working from home are the same people who would have used public transport, mainly rail. There are also other demands on home energy and people working from home may actually make more trips by using their car during the middle of the day which they wouldn’t typically have been able to do during the working week.
We’re also starting to see people moving away from transport hubs as this can potentially improve their quality of life. Of course the irony there is that when they do make those trips they’ve increased their car dependency as well.
The big game in town is still trying to get people back onto public transport because we need to regain our position on that and actually improve. We also need to get those people who were on public transport back travelling as well. And I think also there’s a need to slightly pivot our focus to leisure trips.
Your experience outside of transport involved doing environmental impact assessments. How did those skills transfer into what you’re doing now?
Most of my experience has been around transport infrastructure, I also previously worked in a local authority which helped my understanding of governance and some of the pressures and challenges that local authorities face around policy development.
Having worked in environmental impact assessment I think my understanding of what to expect in terms of future strategy and your programmes is really fundamental in making decisions, documenting why you’re making those decisions and how, for instance, carbon is feeding into those decisions, is a really important part of the process, because you have to you have to show how you’ve considered alternatives.
