Trainline is encouraging people to switch to traveling by train to meet the UK's net zero emissions targets by 2050.
The digital rail platform's 'I Came By Train' campaign, which aims to encourage rail use, revealed that a 30 per cent increase in train travel is needed by 2035 to achieve the net zero targets set by the UK Climate Change Committee. by 2050.
To achieve the 30 per cent target, Trainline aims to build a coalition of technology, railways, policy makers, NGOs and community groups to inspire more people to choose rail, calling for “collective action to inspire behavioral change”.
This comes after new research from Trainline revealed that 58 per cent of respondents have considered switching to traveling by train (rather than driving) to reduce their carbon footprint. According to Trainline, if this group of people opted to take the train (rather than car) for just one 200-mile journey each year, that alone would reach a third of the 30 per cent target and reduce the UK's CO2e emissions. by 4.5 percent. million metric tons.
Jody Ford, CEO of Trainline, commented:
“The 30% Project is a collective mission and its success is in our collective interest. The answer to achieving this goal lies in collective action.
“Together we can help close the gap between required emissions cuts and existing policy ambitions, enabling and reinforcing positive behavioral changes in the way people travel.
“When we talk about attracting 30 per cent more people to the railway, it is not just a challenge that the railway industry must take on, it is a challenge for society in general. How do we get 30 percent more hikers to take the train? How do we get 30 percent more business travelers to take the train? How to get 30 percent more sports fans, festival-goers and shoppers to take the train?
“Addressing these questions is where I see the future of 'I Came by Train' as a campaign coalition bringing together technology makers, railways, policy makers, NGOs and community groups to act together and support people to accelerate their own individual positive changes. “
The 30 per cent target was calculated in line with the UK Committee on Climate Change's Sixth Carbon Budget, which set out the need for a 58 per cent increase in rail passenger transport by 2050 compared to the year of 2019 baseline. Modeled as a linear increase, this is equivalent to the 30 percent figure by 2035.
Last year, Trainline Partner Solutions, the business travel division of Trainline, found that UK business travelers are increasingly concerned about sustainability when it comes to transport options.
Trainline: Low carbon travel has become a priority for UK business travelers
trainline.com
