How can the Caithness rail line hit Net Zero by 2035?

Scotland’s rail operator claims it is on track to be Net Zero for the government’s 2035 target but a campaign group says it is "not easy" to see what form this will take in the far north.

Speaking at a COP26 event in Glasgow on Wednesday (November 10), Alex Hynes, ScotRail managing director, outlined his vision and plans for a net zero carbon future on Scotland’s railway.

Mr Hynes said: “We have identified electrification and the transition from diesel to alternative traction such as hydrogen and battery trains as the key to achieving zero CO2 emissions on Scotland’s Railway by 2035, and we are pushing ahead with big investment to make that a reality."

He talked about how all diesel trains will be taken "out of service over the next 15 years" through the decarbonisation of the rail infrastructure. Around 90 structures needed to be rebuilt or significantly altered to support electrification works across central Scotland and that on the rural routes, where electrification may not be possible, ScotRail said it is developing hydrogen and battery train solutions.

Rail campaign group Friends of the Far North Line (FoFNL) says it welcomes the efforts being made by all in the railway industry to achieve the Scottish Government's 2035 Net Zero target.

FoFNL convener Ian Budd said: "Although north of Tain our route is considered to be unlikely to be electrified with overhead wires, this remains by far the most efficient option in terms of electricity usage, as well as providing the power needed for hauling heavy freight trains.

"We would like to follow the Swiss Railways example of 100 per cent electrification. Hydrogen, or to a lesser extent battery, freight locomotives seem an unlikely proposition at present."

Mr Budd said that some "very exciting developments" with both battery and hydrogen powered passenger trains were showcased at COP26 but at present "it was not easy to see" which will be chosen for use on the far north line. "The option of discontinuous electrification, combined with battery power needs to be on the table as well," he added.

At the COP26 event on Wednesday, the ScotRail CEO said: “Rail is already the most sustainable mode of public transport, contributing only one per cent of Scotland’s overall transport carbon emissions but, there’s no doubt a cleaner and greener network is something we should all be working towards."

The FoFNL convenor told the paper: "The massive modal shift away from road vehicles required to tackle the Climate Emergency is going to represent a huge challenge for the Scottish Government, especially in the Highlands where the railways currently don't have the capacity to take the extra traffic – we are confident this will be remedied."

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