End of the line for diesel fumes at London St Pancras as new trains arrive

"EMR's fleet of cleaner Aurora trains, built by Hitachi, has arrived years behind schedule and parallel engineering works to fully electrify the track they will run on, the Midland main line, have been scaled back. According to Will Rogers, the managing director of EMR, the Aurora trains are going to make a step-change at St Pancras. It's very noticeable in terms of noise and emissions."

"On such environmental considerations, rail travel largely beats most other mechanised transport: consuming less energy for each passenger than cars, far superior to the plane in its carbon footprint, and in many places pumping out fewer noxious fumes. That comparative advantage does not make it completely green. About 70% of Great Britain's passenger train rolling stock is electric, and about 8% bi-mode; but only 39% of the entire route length of the railway is electrified."

King's Cross and St Pancras were historically polluted by railway fossil fuels but have been redeveloped into clean, modern stations. One corner of St Pancras remains affected by diesel fug but East Midlands Railway will run diesel units in London for the final time by the end of 2026. EMR's cleaner Aurora trains, built by Hitachi, have arrived years late and electrification of the Midland main line has been scaled back. The Aurora fleet is bi-mode, using electricity in the south and diesel farther north, reducing carbon emissions by about 66% where electrified. Rail travel consumes less energy per passenger than cars and planes and emits fewer noxious fumes.

Read at www.theguardian.com