High Speed One (HS1), the operator of the UK’s only high-speed railway, is set to become the first in the country to run entirely on renewable energy.
It has secured Renewable Electricity Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificates from npower Business Solutions, to ensure its trains and stations are powered solely by sustainable power.
“Wind and solar power lie at the heart of a procurement process that is already underway to ensure the only high-speed railway in the country runs solely on sustainable power,” the company said in a statement.
The move is a key part of HS1’s pledge to be fully carbon neutral within a decade, as it aims to be the ‘Green Gateway to Europe’.
HS1 is working together with international operator Eurostar and domestic operator Southeastern High Speed (LSER) to reduce the carbon footprint of passengers, with the aim of cutting 25% off of their emissions while reducing energy per train journey by 10%.
The ability for renewables to power train networks has been considered previously, with solar powered railway project Riding Sunbeams gaining it’s first commercial funding from Thrive Renewables and Friends Provident Foundation in September. Unlike HS1, this will look to power regional rail networks directly through a pipeline of solar projects in South East England and the Valleys in South Wales.
