While rail has a critical role to play in supporting society’s net-zero transitions, the industry needs to look inward at the equipment used on the network.
Australia, along with all parties to the Paris Agreement, has committed to holding the increase in global average temperatures to below 2°C and pursuing efforts to keep global warming to less than 1.5°C.
The Net Zero Plan will guide the country’s transition to the legislated target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The rail sector has a critical role to play in this transition, but the plant and equipment used to service the industry also need to be a part of this shift.
In Victoria, teams working on the Level Crossing Removal Projects (LXRP) have taken every opportunity to design efficiently and innovate through the use of lower carbon materials and building practices to minimise their environmental footprint.
“LXRP has a strong focus on sustainability and has led industry change in promoting construction practices and technologies that drive down emissions and support Victoria in reaching its net-zero targets,” a spokesperson for LXRP said.
“From the materials we use, to the way we build, our goal is to minimise emissions and leave a legacy of low-carbon construction practices as we continue to deliver transport infrastructure projects that are changing the way people live, work and travel.”
Plant and equipment emissions have been a particular focus for LXRP, with many projects trialling innovations to decarbonise construction practices.
This year, the Kananook Train Maintenance Facility used Australia’s first electric piling rig during construction, saving an estimated 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO²) emissions.
The Webb Street level crossing removal project in Narre Warren also trialled a crane powered by hydrotreated vegetable oil, a sustainable fuel that can reduce life-cycle carbon emissions by up to 90 per cent compared with traditional mineral diesel.
Data from the trial will be used to understand and promote green alternatives to traditional diesel in the construction industry.
In Ringwood East, the Dublin Road level crossing removal project used an 8.5 tonne electric truck to transport materials around the site, saving hundreds of litres of diesel each month and reducing air and noise pollution.
LXRP’s transition to greener energy sources also includes solar power, both in construction and completed station buildings. The new Union Station in Surrey Hills, which features one of the biggest rooftop solar systems in Victoria’s rail network, has Six Star Green Star certification and was this year awarded the Infrastructure Sustainability Council’s highest rating for a Victorian rail project.
Such industry-leading innovations are underpinned by the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority’s 2024 Transport Infrastructure Decarbonisation Strategy, which outlines pathways to decarbonise corporate operations and transport construction activities across all transport infrastructure programs.
How to make the transition
While the arrival of new technology and practices is exciting, the concept of net-zero transition can be a daunting one for the industry.
The University of Queensland has worked on a collaborative partnership with Lendlease to investigate the range of low and zero-emission technologies that could drive the transition to fossil free fuel and ultimately zero emission construction sites.
Innovative zero emission construction machinery powered by batteries, fuel cells or direct electrification offer many potential benefits including lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, reduced operational and maintenance costs, and less air and noise pollution.
The Australian rail sector can look to its international counterparts to better understand how the industry can make the transition.
A report prepared by DNV-GL on behalf of Energi Norge, Norsk Fjernvarme, ENOVA and Bellona showed that Norwegian construction sites emit 420,000 tonnes CO² and 5.1 tonnes of nitrogen oxides (NOx) annually.
According to the report, CO² emissions are reduced by about 99 per cent and NOx emissions by about 96 per cent when using alternatives energy sources and better planning.
The Norwegian construction industry has adopted a stepwise approach that works towards the ambition of an emission free construction site, starting with a fossil free construction site.
Ambitions can be raised to an ‘on-site emission free’ construction site which covers no direct GHG emissions from construction activities taking place on-site (for example, from internal transport, operation of construction machinery and on-site energy use).
The next step involves adding emission free transport to and from the construction site, while the final step covers the whole system boundary.
Finally, a zero-emission construction site is a construction site that does not have any direct or indirect GHG emissions from its construction activities. According to Norway’s Agency for Public Management and e-Government (DIFI), a zero-emission construction site requires future-oriented and climate-friendly solutions.
Electric machines
Zero-emissions initiatives have gathered momentum in Europe after the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015 in which countries committed to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius.
Companies such as Hitachi Construction Machinery began the development of battery-operated excavators in collaboration with a subsidiary of Kiesel GmbH, its European dealer in Germany.
Hitachi Construction Machinery has since developed new battery-operated mini-excavators in the five-tonne and eight-tonne classes. At a technical level, almost every component of the 3.5-tonne class mini-excavator released in 2011 was specially developed for construction equipment.
Global engineering and construction company Laing O’Rourke acquired a series of electric plant and vehicles bound for use on local infrastructure projects.
At the time it was one of the first investments of its type for the Australian construction sector and is part of the company’s efforts to reduce scope one and two carbon emissions and reach operational net zero by 2030.
Australia’s first two 250 tonne electric crawler cranes arrived in early 2023.
Managed by Select Plant Australia, a subsidiary of Laing O’Rourke, the two Liebherr LR 1250.1 fully electric lattice jib crawler cranes produce zero emissions while offering the same performance as their diesel-powered counterparts.
“Electric plant and equipment are a game changer for our sector,” managing director for Laing O’Rourke Australia Rebecca Hanley said.
“Globally, we set an ambitious target to achieve operational net zero by 2030, which relates to scope one and two emissions, and be a net zero company before 2050, which relates to scope three emissions. Investment in this type of technology, along with our solar-powered site compounds and other initiatives, means we can both deliver certainty for our clients and meet our commitments to the world around us.
“Laing O’Rourke’s mission is to be the recognised leader for innovation and excellence in the construction industry, and this is just another example of how we are striving to fulfil that goal and support change in the sector.”
Biofuels
In what is a first for Western Australia’s construction industry, the METRONET Byford Rail Extension is trialling the use of renewable diesel to help reduce its carbon footprint.
Known as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), the renewable diesel is made from fats, vegetable oils and waste products from the food industry and restaurants. It’s replacing regular diesel typically used to run four pieces of onsite plant and equipment.
HVO is known as a ‘drop in fuel’, which is widely available in other countries at price parity. It is therefore a transitional solution to reducing Scope one emissions in the construction industry. This makes it a reliable solution for the existing fleet while electric machinery is implemented and associated wide-scale changes are made.
METRONET Sustainability Lead Alita Hancock explained the importance of the project.
“The project will substitute 23,000 litres of traditional diesel with HVO, which is expected to produce 95 per cent fewer CO2 emissions and less noxious gases, all while delivering the same performance as regular diesel,” she said. “Reducing emissions of heavy vehicles, rail freight, mining, agriculture, construction plant and equipment can be challenging. Trials such as this aim to demonstrate the role renewable fuels can play in helping to achieve sustainability targets.”
The HVO trial is being run in partnership with Curtin University. Researchers will undertake studies to understand implications for fuel efficiency, emission reduction and impacts to engines.
The data captured will be provided to the Department of Transport to show the viability of HVO fuel for current and future infrastructure projects, and to help build the case for wider industry use once Western Australia’s supply of HVO is available in 2025-26.
This initiative aligns with the METRONET Sustainability Strategy to identify and implement practical ways to reduce the carbon footprint of METRONET projects.
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