Carbon accounting in mainline railway geotechnical solutions: Reducing embodied carbon in conjunction with offsetting to reach net zero

Abstract

The Government has enacted into law the requirement to meet net zero carbon emissions by 2050 [1]. Network Rail (NR) has risen to the challenge and embedded this into its own Environmental Sustainability Strategy [2]. NR has also set markers along the way on the journey to net zero via ambitious Science Based Targets (SBTs) for both itself and its supply chain [3]. Having these SBTs embedded in the supply chain is vital as NR’s scope 3 emissions account for over 97% of its Green House Gas (GHG) emissions [4]. This paper addresses potential solutions to the climate change and carbon reduction problem through a UK rail focused lens. It also outlines some of the challenges in reducing carbon in specific railway geotechnical solutions, namely earthworks. The focus of the research is on accurate measurement of current carbon accounts in Business As Usual (BAU) scenarios for railway embankments and soil and rock cuttings. The current situation will be accurately recorded via analysis of a variety of case studies to identify carbon hot spots within these specific earthworks, which are hypothesised to be in the cements and steel used. A suite of alternative lower carbon products and/or processes will be discussed and analysed, which, when coupled with a taxonomy of negative carbon technology solutions, such as sequestration via afforestation and enhanced weathering, could enable NR to move closer towards its goal of achieving net zero carbon.

Keywords: Carbon Account; Railway; Geotechnical Solutions

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Identifiers

ORCID for Simon Blainey: orcid.org/0000-0003-4249-8110

ORCID for William Powrie: orcid.org/0000-0002-2271-0826

ORCID for John Preston: orcid.org/0000-0002-6866-049X

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