A methodology for measuring the economic competitiveness of decarbonized rail alternatives[Méthodologie d'évaluation de la compétitivité économique des alternatives ferroviaires décarbonées]

Nowadays, air pollution is responsible for the deaths of 7 to 9 million people worldwide each year. Even if rail is already one of the greenest modes of transport (Bigo, 2020), it is still responsible for greenhouse gas emissions when operating on diesel (i.e., 197 million tons CO2eq in 20162). In France, 43% of the rail network remains non-electrified. Due to technical, economic and safety reasons, the first and last miles connecting industrial sites to the national rail network, also known as branch lines, are mainly non-electrified which means that diesel locomotives usually continue to run on electrified sections. As a result, today, 80% of diesel freight train-kilometers are done under catenaries (Simian and al., 2018). An environmental nonsense that leads to unnecessary diesel consumption and avoidable emission of air pollutants and carbon dioxide. For a few years now, influenced by the trend towards decarbonization, rail has been undergoing a major conversion. A change that is leading to the emergence and adoption of decarbonized alternatives by the rail industry (whether partial or full). Given the great diversity of rail use cases (both for passengers and freight) resulting in a heterogeneity of decarbonized alternatives, it is becoming more and more complicated for a decision-maker (shippers/operators) to choose the most suitable solution according to their needs. This research aims at providing an economic method to guide a decision-maker in his choice of a decarbonized alternative.