Railways: Exhaust Emissions
(asked on 11th December 2017) - View Source
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has he made of the potential effect of diesel particulates from bi-mode trains on the health of (a) passengers, (b) railway workers and (c) people who live near to railway lines.
The new bi-mode trains will be cleaner than the diesel trains that they replace. In addition, when running on the electrified part of the network the engines can be switched off completely and therefore will not produce any diesel particulates.
The table below shows the emissions standards met by Intercity Express Train (Class 800) rolling stock. From 2017, Class 800 trains will progressively replace Class 43 rolling stock on the network (also shown below):
Train class | Year manufactured | Engine emissions standard | Particulate Matter emissions standard | Nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions standard |
Class 800 – Intercity Express Train | 2015 onwards | EU NRMM Stage IIIB | 0.025 g/kWh (grams per kilowatt hour) | 4.0 g/kWh |
Class 43 – High Speed Train | 1975-1982 (re-engined in 2005-2010) | UIC II (following engine overhaul in 2000s) | 0.250 g/kWh | 9.5 g/kWh |
The standards shown above are maximum emission levels, shown in grams per unit of energy (kilowatt hours). Class 800 trains can operate under diesel or overhead electrical power; the above data relates to diesel operation only.