Transport leader’s green pledge to UN climate summit

Rochdale’s new interchange is the first transport hub in Europe to be powered by hydroelectricity as water from the River Roch turns a screw-shaped turbine to generate up to 86,000kWh per annum of electricity every year – reducing the carbon footprint by over a quarter

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Greater Manchester’s green transport commitment will be showcased in a report to heads of nation states and governments at a summit in New York this week.

A Europe-wide report by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) was launched at the United Nations Climate Summit yesterday (23 September).

The report – ‘Climate Action and Public Transport’ – presents an initiative to double the market share of public transport worldwide by 2025, highlighting efforts by the transport sector to reduce emissions.

In summer 2013, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) was the first UK transport authority to make the long-term commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2033.

Greater Manchester now has the largest fleet of green buses in the UK outside London, and recently opened a new interchange in Rochdale – the first in Europe to have a built-in hydroelectric power source.

TfGM reduced its own carbon emissions by 19% in the three years to 2012/13. Chief Executive Dr Jon Lamonte signed a pledge to the UN restating TfGM’s commitment to reaching a carbon saving target of 75% by 2018 and becoming a zero carbon authority by 2033.

He said: “Over the past few years we have invested in some really innovative green projects and it’s great to have our successes – and those of our European partners – reaching such a high profile audience at this week’s summit.

“This report shows both what works – and what is possible – when the public transport sector joins the global conversation on climate change.

“Traffic counts for a third of carbon emissions in Greater Manchester, and our ambitious carbon savings target aim to tackle that problem.

“But it’s not just about what organisations can do. We all share a responsibility for improving the air that we breathe and that’s why we’re encouraging people to walk and cycle more, as well as using public transport where possible.”

Alain Flausch, UITP Secretary General, said: “The future of cities around the world looks bleak if we do not start taking action on climate change. It’s not an impossible task and civil society and the public transport sector are ready to help governments meet the Kyoto objectives on the ground.”

As the UK partner for the European Union’s major Ticket to Kyoto environmental project, over the last five years TfGM worked with partners in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands to reduce carbon emissions in public transport.

This project resulted in a number of innovative green schemes, including the wind turbine providing power at Bolton’s popular Horwich Parkway railway station – which generates up to 27,000kWh of electricity every year – around half of the electricity needed to power the station.

Rochdale’s new interchange is the first transport hub in Europe to be powered by hydroelectricity as water from the River Roch turns a screw-shaped turbine to generate up to 86,000kWh per annum of electricity every year – reducing the carbon footprint by over a quarter.

TfGM has also replaced all 2,200 traffic signal heads in Greater Manchester with LEDs, making energy savings of around 42%.

Greater Manchester launched an electric vehicle charging point network and pay as you go programme last summer, with charge points installed at key locations across all ten districts.

52 of TfGM’s 93-strong yellow school bus fleet are now hybrid-electric vehicles, while a further 34 older diesel yellow school buses are being retro-fitted with air pollution control equipment to reduce emissions.

Greater Manchester will have over 300 hybrid-electric buses by next year – more than anywhere in the UK outside London.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority agreed a Climate Change Strategy for Greater Manchester in 2011, setting a target of a reduction in carbon emissions by 2020 of 48% from 1990 levels. Longer term national targets require a reduction of 80% by 2050.