[Opinion] When Railways Must Step Up to Achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2050

Kim Han-young, President of the Korea National Railway Corporation.

The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), attended by delegations from 197 countries, was held in Glasgow, UK, and concluded on the 13th of last month. Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement for greenhouse gas reduction at the 2015 Conference of the Parties, countries have for the first time presented their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for greenhouse gas reduction targets by 2030. Our government also announced an upward revision of the national greenhouse gas reduction target to a 40% reduction by 2030 compared to 2018. In the transportation sector, this means a reduction of 37.8%, or 37 million tons, of greenhouse gases compared to 2018, which will require tremendous effort.

Considering the current industrial structure of our country, it is clear that the greenhouse gas reduction target is by no means an easy challenge. According to research by the Korea Environment Institute, if no measures are taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the future, the socio-economic damage over the next 80 years is estimated to be about 3,000 trillion won. As of 2018, the transportation sector accounted for about 15.5% of the total carbon emissions in Korea, indicating a significant responsibility. Advanced countries overseas continuously pursue policies to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector by managing demand, implementing road diets, and promoting low-carbon transportation modes such as rail and public transit.

Generally, the lower the density of development in an area, the higher the car usage rate; conversely, the higher the density, the greater the supply and use of public transportation. Korea, as a country with high-density development centered on large metropolitan areas such as the Seoul metropolitan area and other regional metropolitan zones, has favorable conditions for the development of public transportation. However, the share of transportation by car remains very high. Why is this? It is because public transportation in Korea is inconvenient and uncomfortable, leading to its rejection by the public. Due to this, Korea has been labeled as an ‘energy-intensive country.’

To shed this negative image, it is necessary to move toward a public transportation system that users can conveniently use in order to achieve the carbon emission targets allocated to the transportation sector. The European Commission’s Transport White Paper policy guidelines also present ‘user-centered transport policy’ as a fundamental policy direction. Now, if Korea creates a fair competitive environment among transportation modes and establishes a sustainable, eco-friendly rail-centered transportation system that provides convenient public transportation services, it will greatly contribute to reducing carbon emissions in the transportation sector.

The Korea National Railway is fully committed to preparing for the realization of carbon neutrality.

First, in June this year, our corporation launched the ‘Carbon Neutral Railway Strategy Committee,’ composed of three divisions: Future Policy, Green New Deal, and ESG. Through this, we will establish and implement major policy directions and action plans to dramatically increase the share of rail transport, an eco-friendly mode of transportation, to practice carbon neutrality.

Second, from a macro perspective, we will discover railway policies that create a fair competitive system among transportation modes and build a sustainable rail-centered transportation system to change the overall paradigm of railways.

Third, we aim to achieve the early completion of the 4th National Railway Network Plan. Once the 4th network is completed, the rail transport share is expected to increase by about 5%, reducing commuting times in major metropolitan areas by about 50%, and decreasing carbon emissions by approximately 6.8 tons annually.

Finally, we will strengthen our role as a platform for exchanging diverse information and fostering collaboration with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, railway operators, research institutions, and academia.

At a time when the global need for carbon neutrality is increasingly emphasized, strengthening the role of environmentally friendly and highly public railways is more urgent than ever to successfully realize Korea’s 2050 carbon neutrality policy.

Kim Han-young, President of Korea National Railway