New figures show that Britain's railways are losing their environmental advantage over the car, as cleaner, more efficient engines and fuel mean that diesel trains create more pollution.

'Both cars and trucks are getting cleaner and the railway hasn't made very much progress at all over the same period. There's no doubt road is catching up in terms of emissions and by some standards it could even have over taken it. Over the next decade it's very possible to argue road will be as good, possibly better.' ' said Malcolm Fergusson, senior fellow at the Institute of European Environmental Policy in London.


In the past decade, toxic emissions of nitrogen oxides, particulates and sulphur from the British car fleet have halved as pollution from new cars has been slashed by 97 per cent due to advances in petrol, diesel and engines, driven by regulations to force the industry to 'green up'.

At the same time, the European car industry has cut carbon dioxide by 13 per cent, and has promised to double that figure Improvements on rail, however, have been much slower. Tougher European new engine regulations come into force in two years, but it would take decades to replace existing dirtier rolling stock.

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/waste/story/0,12188,1148613,00.html