Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Transport
John Hemming (Birmingham, Yardley, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the greenhouse gas emissions per distance travelled of passenger trains operating in the United Kingdom.
Derek Twigg (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport; Halton, Labour)
Greenhouse gas emissions from trains vary significantly according to their size, power requirements and whether they are diesel or electric. The following table provides estimates of CO 2 emissions for average diesel, electric and UK trains in terms of emissions per passenger kilometre assuming average passenger loads:
| CO 2 emissions per passenger km (g/km) | |
|---|---|
| Fleet average—diesel | 41 |
| Fleet average—electric | 56 |
| Average UK—electric and diesel combined | 49 |