Low Carbon Mobility: A Sustainable Future for Transport

This report focuses primarily on reducing transport-related carbon emissions through innovation, influence and investment.

Download Low Carbon Mobility: A Sustainable Future for Transport (PDF, 1.7Mb)

Railway and carbon reduction

We believe that more can be done to meet Government carbon reduction commitments and that the railway should not only contribute to the development of sustainable mobility but lead the way in providing a vision for low carbon living.

Reducing carbon emissions from transport should be high on the Government and public agenda and IMechE hopes this report will be influential in guiding the Government’s policy and investment decisions in the progression towards a low-carbon transport system.

Aims of the Report

This Report aims to establish what environmental advantage rail holds over alternative modes of transport and what scope for improvement there is for the environmental performance of the current transport system. It also outlines the most cost effective policy actions are that the UK government could take to reduce transport-related CO₂ emissions.

Recommendations from the Report

This report has generated a number of recommendations for cost-effective policy actions which will yield a reduction in CO₂ emissions for transport. These recommendations have been made in the context of an infrastructure investment programme which can deliver current railway capacity and performance and accommodate the predicted future growth.

A balanced and integrated transport infrastructure investment policy across all modes will be, in itself, hugely instrumental in generating modal shift to rail, addressing capacity and subsequently providing a reduction in CO₂ emissions for transport.

Download Low Carbon Mobility: A Sustainable Future for Transport (PDF, 1.7Mb)