The next LCA4Regions stakeholder meeting of the Lodzkie region will focus on rail transport. Lodzkie is investing in railways and 2021 is being celebrated as the European Year of Railways.
Rail is the most reliable, sustainable and low-emission means of transport. It is also a new area of innovation for SMEs, R&D units and start-ups. The scale and scope of railway activity gives a good chance to strengthen the pro-market and pro-environmental advantages of this sector, especially in combination with the development of transport accessibility in the region.
The seminar, organized by Lodzkie in cooperation with Lodz Agglomeration Railway, is an attempt to discuss the potential of railways in the region in terms of energy transition, reduction of harmful emissions, applications for LCA methodologies or, identification of new development directions for rail transport in relation to the development of the Circular Economy. It is thanks to methodologies such as LCA and Carbon Footprint that rail is identified as the most climate- and environment-friendly mode of transport. For example, taking all transport activities into account, rail transport accounts for only 0.6% of the sector's greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, its development, taking into account the scale and scope of its activities, can bring about an almost immediate and effective reduction in its impact on the climate and ecosystems. The national and regional rail sector is already working in practice to strengthen low-/no-carbon transport (recuperation, ecodriving, predictive systems, digitalisation, hydrogen propulsion, etc.).
The following topics will be addressed:
- Social accessibility and development scenarios of the Lodz region in the era of Green Deal.
- The role of railway in social activation of peripheral areas (accessibility to education, public services, regional labour market).
- Railway innovation, investment, use of EU funds as tools for increasing the economic competitiveness of regions (exports, mobility of workers, reducing the carbon footprint of economic activity).
- Railway infrastructure supporting the process of energy transition.
- Railway "open" to local governments and public consultations, issues of integrated and dynamic spatial planning with particular emphasis on pro-environmental issues, also taking into account the needs of individual passengers.
- Breakthrough technologies of the future in the field of railways.
After the meeting there will be a possibility to take part in a study visit: a ride and sightseeing tour of the innovative Technical Base of the Łódź Agglomeration Railway (ŁKA) in Widzew for a group - ŁKA (after the seminar, departure from Łódź Fabryczna at approx. 12.30 p.m., return at approx. 3 p.m.).
The event is realised within the projects:
- "REgional PoLicy Actions for Circular Economy - REPLACE" (Interreg Europe)
- "Supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy in EU regions based on the coal economy" - DeCarb" (Interreg Europe)
- "Environmental protection and resource efficiency through the use of life-cycle instruments in the implementation of regional policy - LCA4Regions" (Interreg Europe)
More information: Our projects - business.lodzkie.pl and Year of Rail (europa.eu)
Draft agenda
| 10:00 - 10:10 | Introduction |
| 10:10 - 10:40 | RES, hydrogen energy and energy storage as fundamental factors of energy transformation of green rail transport - panel discussion |
| 10:40 - 10:55 | Counteracting transport exclusion thanks to long-term contracts between local governments and railway companies - presentation of an example of local government |
| 10:55 - 11:25 | Innovative technological solutions and social challenges on the example of good practices implemented in Poland and Europe in the field of railway - panel discussion |
| 11:25 - 11:45 | Towards a low-carbon economy at regional level - the DeCarb project "step by step |
| 11:45 - 12:00 | Question and answer session |
| 12:30 - 15:00 | Study visit to the innovative Technical Base of the Łódź Agglomeration Railway |
