Scientists: Travelling by train to cut carbon footprint by 88%

26 / 12 / 2023

By Marwa Nassar - -

Scientists revealed taking the train instead of car would reduce carbon footprint by 88 percent. This has prompted Chris Rea to re-think his drive home for Christmas.

Scientists at the University of Sheffield’s Grantham Center for Sustainable Futures estimate the journey which inspired Rea’s iconic song Driving Home for Christmas, from Abbey Road music studios to his Middlesbrough home in his wife’s Austin Mini, would have produced 44kg of CO2 over 241 miles.

Earlier this year Rea commissioned an electric version of his beloved original Mini, and the Sheffield scientists wondered whether in 2023 an electric car could compete with the train in terms of its environmental efficiency – something they’d previously calculated back in 2019.

Dr Stuart Walker and Professor Rachael Rothman, from the University of Sheffield’s Grantham Center for Sustainable Futures, estimate Chris’ new electric car might manage around six kilometres per kWh, giving total emissions for the trip of around 11kg. A major factor is how efficient the vehicle and its batteries are. Though a classic design, the Mini was not designed for aerodynamic efficiency, which means it uses more power per mile than a modern electric vehicle and will therefore discharge its batteries more quickly.

Using a common modern electric car might reduce this to 9kg, and adopting one of the most efficient new electric cars could reduce the figure to 8kg.

However, using the train is by far the best option for Rea to minimize his CO2 emissions. With electric trains running on the East Coast Mainline since 2019, a trip from St John’s Wood to Kings Cross and then up to Middlesbrough on the East Coast Mainline would now emit just 5kg of CO2.

Dr Stuart Walker from the University of Sheffield, said: “It’s interesting to note that emissions of both the car and train journey have fallen by around 80 per cent since the song was written, but the train is still the greener way to travel.

“Since both are now linked to the emissions of the UK electricity supply, it seems likely that both will continue to fall, but perhaps the train will always be the best option for this journey.

“We also calculated the emissions of some of Chris’ favourite vehicles, including a Ferrari (148kg CO2) and a tiny Fiat 500 (37kg), but none could beat the train. We found that the emissions of the rail journey would fall over time, helped by the electrification of the line and the gradual reduction in emissions as more and more of our electricity is supplied by renewable energy.

“We also speculated on some other options, but the train still emerged as the best. If Chris had adopted an early hybrid Toyota Prius in 2009 or bought a Tesla in 2012, his emissions would be lower than a petrol or diesel car, but still higher than the equivalent train journey.”