Preface
(….)
Past cotton-grass and moorland boulder
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder,
Snorting noisily as she passes
Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.
Birds turn their heads as she approaches,
Stare from bushes at her blank-faced coaches.
(….)
Night Mail, W.H. Audin (1907–1973)
Rationale and Purpose
The transportation of people and goods is a critical part of the economy. However, a
judicious choice of the means of transportation can ameliorate the impacts of
economic activities on the environment. In this respect, railways can play a major
role, as they provide far more cost-effective and energetically efficient ways of
transporting passengers and freight than motor vehicles and airplanes. Hence,
railways can contribute to the global efforts for curbing the emission of greenhouse
gases and thus help achieve the goals set by the Convention on Climate Change,
and the recent Paris Agreement to reduce the forecasted rise in global temperatures
in the twenty-first century. Calls have thus been made to consider railways as the
backbone of sustainable transportation and to increase their share in relation to more
polluting modes of transport.
1 However, as with many other economic endeavors,
railways have environmental impacts ranging from several forms of pollution to
1
Sadler, K., 2015. Rail to play key role in strategy for tackling climate change. http://www.
europeanrailwayreview.com/24816/rail-industry-news/rail-to-play-key-role-in-strategy-fortackling-climate-change/.
vii
(….)
Past cotton-grass and moorland boulder
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder,
Snorting noisily as she passes
Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.
Birds turn their heads as she approaches,
Stare from bushes at her blank-faced coaches.
(….)
Night Mail, W.H. Audin (1907–1973)
Rationale and Purpose
The transportation of people and goods is a critical part of the economy. However, a
judicious choice of the means of transportation can ameliorate the impacts of
economic activities on the environment. In this respect, railways can play a major
role, as they provide far more cost-effective and energetically efficient ways of
transporting passengers and freight than motor vehicles and airplanes. Hence,
railways can contribute to the global efforts for curbing the emission of greenhouse
gases and thus help achieve the goals set by the Convention on Climate Change,
and the recent Paris Agreement to reduce the forecasted rise in global temperatures
in the twenty-first century. Calls have thus been made to consider railways as the
backbone of sustainable transportation and to increase their share in relation to more
polluting modes of transport.
1 However, as with many other economic endeavors,
railways have environmental impacts ranging from several forms of pollution to
1
Sadler, K., 2015. Rail to play key role in strategy for tackling climate change. http://www.
europeanrailwayreview.com/24816/rail-industry-news/rail-to-play-key-role-in-strategy-fortackling-climate-change/.
vii