Rail Decarbonisation Planning

Completed

Energy Efficiency(Transport)
Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal(Oil and Gas, Refining, transport and storage of oil and gas)
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells(Hydrogen, Other infrastructure and systems R&D)

Applied Research and Development

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
Northern Gas Network (NGN) North East

Network Innovation Allowance

Ofgem

01 March 2022

01 May 2022

2 months

£124,994

Energy

North East

Project Contact, Northern Gas Network (NGN) North East

Project Contact, South Eastern Power Networks plc
Project Contact, Eastern Power Networks plc

Project Contact, UK Power Networks

This project will develop both an overarching implementation strategy and a methodology to enable the ongoing deployment of the most effective, efficient, and appropriate technological solutions to decarbonise rail transport. Our approach will lead to a shared implementation plan that will enable electricity and gas networks to factor in rail decarbonisation when they are planning their own infrastructure investments.TDNS: Through the production of the TDNS, Network Rail already has a strong starting point. However, a key weakness of the current TDNS is that it does not consider the capacity or role of existing and emerging electricity and gas network infrastructure to deliver rail decarbonisation. Our project will address this. Our analysis will lead to a TDNS implementation strategy and methodology to support decision making on rail decarbonisation options. Our methodology will consider current constraints in the hydrogen/electricity systems and identify the steps needed to overcome these. Rail Operator Use: Ultimately, our methodology will allow rail operators to identify the parameters, criteria, and recommendations for decarbonisation of specific parts of the rail network. This would identify whether electrification, hydrogen or a combination of both, is the most effective way to deliver decarbonisation of different parts of the rail infrastructure. Energy System Use: Our implementation plan will identify how the rail decarbonisation can better integrate as part of a wider energy systems approach. For instance, informing the location of future hydrogen filling facilities in locations that intersect between rail transportation and road haulage or enabling energy balancing services through hybrid systems Project Partners and Supporters: Our project consists of partners from a range of sectors, along with expert consulting organisations. This creates a strong consortium which will help operationalise the plan through using it within their decision-making processes.Impact: This innovation is essential for the successful decarbonisation of the rail sector. The project will support the decision making of rail infrastructure owners and operators and electricity and gas networks. Ultimately it will benefit both consumers of rail services and energy services by enabling reliable, low carbon transport for all. Beta Phase: If progressed to the Beta phase, our intention is to pool investments from within the rail sector to demonstrate the technology along a selected line, potentially building a hybrid electric/hydrogen demonstration facility/project.

14/10/22