TfN report highlights environmental impact of travel choices

Research conducted by sub-national transport body, Transport for the North (TfN), has revealed how modes of transport affect the carbon footprint of a journey.

TfN analysed a number of trips, comparing how CO2 emissions varied between travelling by car and by train. The research was published on 8th July to mark Net Zero Week.

Using an average fossil-fuel powered car and typical emissions of a train, TfN calculated the carbon footprint of each journey in terms of the equivalent quantity of coal need to be burned to make the trip. The research revealed that for a single passenger, travelling by car used around 3 times as much energy compared to making the same journey on the train.

For example, analysing a typical daily commute between Skipton and Bradford in Yorkshire, TfN found that the equivalent of 1.4 kg of coal was needed to travel by car, but just 0.4 kg per passenger on the train. The transport body found that is 1000 single car passengers making this trip switched to the train, it would save nearly 1.5 tons of CO2 emissions every day.

With more passengers making the trip however, there was a diminishing return on how much greener it is to take train – TfN found that there was no difference in the amount of fuel needed per passenger to take a family of four from Manchester to Blackpool by car or by train.

Martin Tugwell, Chief Executive of Transport for the North said:

“These new figures show that we all perhaps need to be better informed about how we choose to travel, and sometimes, making a choice is not quite as straightforward as it looks.

“Transport related social exclusion, for example, may sometimes mean limited or no choice in the way people travel. But it’s clear from the data, that, where it is possible, stepping out of the car and onto a train could make a significant impact on the North’s carbon footprint.

“To be a viable alternative to diesel or petrol car travel, though, the train and other travel options need to be accessible, affordable and reliable and we need to make the right investments to ensure this can be the case. Exploring and developing how best we can do this has to be a priority for both the North and the wider UK.”