Southeast London railway becomes UK's first to use new low-carbon track

"VolkerRail combined green steel rail, low-carbon concrete, recycled ballast and renewable biofueled trains during recent engineering work to reduce the carbon intensity of the work. Steel rails, concrete sleepers, and ballast, all traditionally produced through carbon-intensive processes, account for a significant share of the overall carbon footprint in track renewals, as much as 90%. The project used green steel rail manufactured in an electric arc furnace, achieving around 60% lower carbon intensity than traditional blast-furnace steel."

"They also used 3,240 tonnes of blended ballast, achieving up to 13% carbon savings by reducing the need for virgin aggregate. There was also 2,100 low carbon concrete sleepers, designed to deliver an estimated 40% reduction in embodied carbon. During the actual replacement work, they relied on seven HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil)- powered trains for transporting materials to and from the railway site."

A 1,150-yard section of track between Honor Oak Park and Forest Hill in southeast London was renewed using low-carbon materials and methods. VolkerRail implemented green steel produced in an electric arc furnace, low-carbon concrete sleepers, blended recycled ballast and HVO-fueled trains to transport materials. Green steel delivered about 60% lower carbon intensity than blast-furnace steel. Blended ballast provided up to 13% carbon savings by reducing virgin aggregate use, and 2,100 low-carbon concrete sleepers offered an estimated 40% embodied carbon reduction. Combined measures avoided 581 tCO2e, a 63% saving equivalent to annual emissions of around 200 UK households.

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