Environment

Our commitment to becoming a more sustainable railway

We're embarking on transformative plans to reduce carbon emissions, enhance our resilience to climate change, and to create lasting value for our colleagues and communities. Our trains are more than just a journey – they connect communities to opportunities and can help to take cars off roads. We are focused on being an integral part of a more sustainable region.

Our new Sustainability Strategy

Operating in a socially and environmentally responsible way is important to us. This is why we have developed our joint Sustainability Strategy with Network Rail. Our strategy aligns to the Rail Safety and Standards Board's Sustainable Rail Blueprint, with 11 Goals to help us become a more sustainable railway. Join us in co-creating this future with colleagues, communities, our supply chain, and the wider rail industry.

Modal shift

Modal shift is about encouraging people to use rail rather than other forms of transport, such as cars. We want to help more people travel by train, and we are committed to ensuring that our rail service plays a core part in the communities we serve and supports the modal shift to more environmentally sustainable methods of transport.

Download The Green Guide 2024

Use our carbon calculator to see the difference between travelling by train vs car

We believe in green public transport – with rail travel being one of the most environmentally friendly ways to travel. Even though rail travel accounts for 10% of passenger miles (2019), it is responsible for just 1% of all transport emissions. We want to help reduce climate impacts by encouraging people off the roads onto our services. Operating in a socially and environmentally responsible way is important to us.

Did you know a single train can remove up to 500 cars from our roads?

We have partnered with Network Rail, South Western Railway and Earth Cubs to create an educational video about the benefits of rail travel. We know that travelling by train is the most sustainable form of public transport, particularly on our all-electric railway, and the animation below is an innovative way to share the benefits of rail with young people.

How we’re performing in our 11 Sustainability Strategy Goal Areas to March 2024