Rail and the COP Action Agenda

Anyone reading the press or a climate Conference of the Parties (COP) programme could be forgiven for wondering where the practical work happens for railway. Though it is important for UIC to take part in and be present at these conferences, most of the work actually happens off stage. In the months between COPs, non-state stakeholders like UIC and their partners work together on plans that could help shape future policy and bring about further investment. For example, in Belem last year, the Brazilian Presidency launched the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Global Climate Action Plans to Accelerate Solutions (PASs). Despite its long name, the idea is straightforward: the PAS, each written by a group of non-state stakeholders with a common goal and interest, identifies what needs to change, the obstacles to this change, and organisation that can help. It then sets out actions and milestones so that partners can report on the state of advancement at the next COP. UIC is involved in three plans: one on reducing unnecessary freight movement and shifting freight to more efficient modes of transport, one on scaling up public transport and sustainable travel in cities, and one on making transport infrastructure more resilient. All three involve several stakeholders, and UIC’s role is to provide railway knowledge and help translate drive into guidance and actions that countries can implement. The plans address five questions that every railway undertaking is familiar with: Is there a market for the service? Does policy support it? Can it be financed? Is the technical expertise available? And are there people with the skills to put it into action? For instance, the PAS on freight movement does not assume that every consignment can simply be transported by train. It looks at how goods are produced and moved, how logistics services can better connect rail with other modes of transport with the aim of establishing multimodal, seamless and international corridors, and what would make those services attractive to customers. UIC has contributed to this project by providing guidance to help countries integrate a modal shift to rail into their national climate plans. It has also increased awareness of the MoveCredits Coalition and explained on how carbon credits could support sustainable transport investment. The city transport plan operates in much the same way. It recognises that people choose a whole journey, not a mode of transport in isolation, including getting to a station, the switch between connections and the service as whole. UIC has worked with partners on developing guidance for including rail, public transport and active mobility in national climate plans. The plan’s COP31 progress report also has training courses and technical support delivered by partners to help transport professionals put those commitments into practice. Looking ahead, the MoveCredits Coalition, established with the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and Alstom, will explore how high-integrity carbon credits could help finance rail and public transport. It must address the challenge of establishing a credible methodology for measuring and verifying emissions reductions. At an official COP31 UNFCCC side event in Antalya, Turkey, UIC and its partners will host a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities for carbon markets under the framework of the developing Paris Agreement Credit Mechanism (PACM). The resilience PAS is rightly multimodal, covering rail, road and ports, recognising that disruption on one part of a transport network can affect communities and supply chains far down the line. It seeks to improve every aspect of the infrastructure lifecyle: assessing future climate risks, improving design and standards, maintaining and upgrading existing assets, building professional capacity, and unlocking further investment. It also identifies gaps in common standards and measures, uneven technical cap…