Possibilities of Decarbonization in Rail Passenger Transport in Slovakia

Abstract

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is one of the basic objectives of the EU. The transport sector is also obliged to contribute to this goal. EU countries use various political and economic tools to achieve this goal - political approaches, strategies, direct support for the procurement of a new electric vehicle, etc. Since a significant part of GHG from inland transport are produced by road transport, these instruments are mainly aimed at reducing GHG emissions in this sector. The consequence is that in countries where diesel traction prevails, the production of GHG emissions has a stagnant or growing character if transport performance increases. The total production of these emissions in the transport sector has been growing in the Slovak Republic in recent years, while 98% of this production is caused by road transport. In passenger rail transport, 73% of transport performances are carried out on electrified lines, while the share of electrified lines is 44% of the total railway network. Decarbonization in railway passenger transport can be achieved in two ways: electrification or the use of alternative energy sources. The Author contribution and scientific novelty in this study is examining two basic alternatives: electrification and battery-powered electric propulsion on diesel traction in Slovakia from a CO2eq emissions production point of view.