The future of Rail Transportation Sustainable High-speed Rail Travel

Rail transportation has experienced something of a checkered history since famously opening up the American West in the late 1800s. While some economies have embraced rail travel as a central part of their passenger transport infrastructure, others have placed greater emphasis on road and air, or focused rail investment mainly on transporting freight.

The global ambition towards net zero carbon across many regions and industries is driving a renewed focus on rail transportation, and in particular High Speed Rail (HSR), with 11,693km of high speed lines in construction, representing a 25% growth in HSR networks over the next 4-5 years.

HSR is set to play a key role in delivering the sustainable, integrated transportation systems required to meet global climate goals, while helping to satisfy the ever-growing worldwide demand for mobility.   

This blog considers:

• Why HSR is key to sustainable transportation, and how this affects the wider rail sector.
• The challenges for HSR, and how they mirror some of the challenges facing sustainable air transport - weight, propulsion, materials, manufacturing and maintenance.
• The importance of innovation in meeting these challenges.
• How Henkel’s position as a global leader in materials and adhesives technologies is enabling innovation in sustainable rail transportation, in the same way as it is doing in other sectors.

HSR’s Role in a Sustainable Transport Future

HSR’s potential contribution to achieving net zero is clear – it is simply much less polluting than air travel. One recent article comparing HSR with domestic air travel in China states that, on average, aircraft carbon emissions per passenger kilometer are seven times those of HSR.  

It is hardly surprising that countries with well-developed HSR infrastructure, like China and France, are actively pursuing transport policies to move passengers off domestic flights and onto high speed rail links.

While others, such as the US, may be slower to join the party, moves such as the US Government restoration of almost $1bn funding for a high speed rail service in California demonstrate there is still strong interest.  

What does this Mean for the Future of Rail Travel in General?

A 2019 International Energy Authority report cites HSR and Metro rail - high-frequency, high-capacity urban services – as the types of rail transportation receiving most investment. The report highlights electrification as one of rail’s key sustainability credentials – where electrified rail infrastructure exists, the challenge of finding a sustainable power source is already resolved.   

Conventional rail covers the mid-range and suburban journeys that sit the scope between HSR and Metro. While its role in a sustainable transport infrastructure may be less clear cut, it would be surprising if it did not also benefit from the advantages of electrification and of innovation in those markets.