The Industrial Revolution ignited our capacity to generate vast amounts of power, exploiting energy stored in fossil fuels. Our addiction to burning fossil fuels over the past 200 years is well-documented, and whilst the green credentials of shared transport assets such as trains and coaches more than offset the actual carbon footprint of electric vehicles (EVs), this doesn't really 'feel' right in the 21st Century.
Technological developments don't guarantee that the public will always view public transport as the greener option. While the message that a train is greener than a car is widely accepted, the comparison between a diesel train and an EV is less clear and more nuanced in the public's mind. The simple truth is that the energy efficiency of a train, even diesel-powered, will always be greater than that of an EV, regardless of advancements in lighter materials and battery technology for cars.
Buses and coaches present another example. Coaches are one of the most flexible, efficient and effective ways to move large groups of people, yet their size and required range mean that current battery technology is unusable to service this market effectively.
Generation Alpha (those born between 2010 and 2024) are perhaps quite rightly hugely negative towards the use of fossil fuels for transport. This is evident in their increasing reluctance and open refusal to engage with heritage railways featuring smoke-belching, coal-guzzling trains. This trend is visible amongst children, parents, and teachers alike. Seeing the smoke, being aware of 'particulates in the air' through education via the spreading and expanding Clean Air Zones, hearing the noise and complexity of the huge dirty transport machines which obviously use lots of natural resources, really does upset many of them. Their perception is that it is entirely the opposite of what they're being taught – it directly contradicts the 'sustainable planet, there is no Planet B' education we are proactively giving our nation's children. If you doubt this, ask anyone under 24 what they consider more environmentally friendly: an electric car, a diesel-powered train, bus or car, or a steam train?
As transport professionals, we often take our environmental credentials for granted. While schools reasonably teach the issues surrounding the use of fossil fuels, the hard science facts and current economic necessities behind these issues are lost on the next generation. This mismatch between perception and reality presents a significant challenge for the transport sector. We need to rapidly accelerate our efforts to go greener to maintain our validity in the eyes of the public, and also to ensure that the nation keeps moving and that the economy continues to function. But key questions are: how should we market ourselves to those who avoid fossil fuels?; how do we provide reassurance regarding sustainability of the transport options available?; is there actually a plan in place, or do we need more direct policy intervention in order that the transport sector accelerates the efforts currently underway?; are people aware that they will have to pay more to do what they already do?
These are tough choices and hard messages that the transport industry must consider as we look towards a more sustainable future with public transport at its heart. But there are reasons to be positive, perhaps we are at the Dawn of a transport revolution with innovations such as the beginnings of realistic and usable technological advances and developments regarding 'bio fuels', the ambitious planned expansions of UK offshore wind farms generating 'clean' electricity, the highly visible increase in EV charging points. And even the currently controversial Clean Air Zones have been proven to actually change people's behaviour. With a new UK government in place, brought in on a mandate of progress, it is certain that change is coming. Will we, as a sector, continue to react, or can we get ahead of the game and be a force for sustainability and good within society? And perhaps most importantly, that this be recognised by upcoming generations.
