Cutting costs, boosting efficiency: how sustainability benefits rail
You can rise to industry challenges by embedding sustainability.
George DaviesDirector Sustainable Development, RSSB
The only way forward for rail is to make it even more sustainable. Public demand for cleaner, more reliable transport is rising, as is pressure to reduce emissions and improve efficiency.
The good news is that we are building on a strong legacy. Rail is already one of the most sustainable transport modes, whether for passengers or freight. The aim is to make it even better, on track to be a Net Zero railway that also protects the environment and improves the lives of our communities.
So, how can sustainability help you rise to industry challenges?
Investing in sustainability is a smart business solution. It is not a hindrance nor a nice-to-have, it is an advantage.
Likewise, when we shift the mindset for repairs and maintenance from ’like for like’ to ’like for better’ we create more resilient infrastructure and rolling stock. These assets are not only better, they’re future-proof. They help to make the railway safe and efficient even in adverse and extreme weather conditions. By adopting these solutions, we’ll see other benefits too, like more biodiversity, improved air quality, and carbon reduction.
The railways directly employ 240,000 people who serve millions of passengers every day. Many more interact with rail in other ways. All these people need rail networks that are resilient and can cope with risks related to climate change. So rail’s response to changing weather patterns needs to be more proactive.
Safety and reliability are non-negotiable. Addressing them needs an integrated approach that covers the entire picture. This includes employee health and wellbeing, failures and faults, and the impact of adverse weather conditions. A holistic approach will help us cope with harsh weather as well as improve safety and health and operational efficiency. Rail’s responsibilities here are significant.
Innovation is essential for achieving the Sustainable Rail Blueprint’s ambitious goals . Key areas of focus include research into solutions like low-emission technologies or digital monitoring. These can improve network efficiency and resource allocation. At RSSB, we foster a culture of trust, transparency, and accountability. This has many benefits, including enabling innovation. Collaboration can also inspire us to think bigger, bolder, and more creatively. Our technical working groups, peopled by leading industry experts, share solutions, debate actions, and work to ensure buy-in.
Find out how the sustainability working groups can help your business.
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The freight sector plays a crucial role in modal shift to rail because it’s the most sustainable transport mode for goods. Rail needs to win the competition for moving goods as well as people. This needs improved intermodal connections and extensive collaboration across the freight sector.
It may be that you need refreshing on rail’s sustainability goals. In that case, read the Sustainable Rail Blueprint (SRB). This is clearly structured explaining who needs to act and how.
Understand rail’s sustainability goals.
Read the Blueprint
But to be really effective each company needs to know what the most important next steps are for them, not what rail’s goals are overall. Our Sustainability Maturity Tool helps rail organisations find their next steps in sustainability. It helps them identify their strengths as well as areas where they need to improve. It measures progress across emissions, natural environment, and social sustainability - learn more about the tool in the next article.
Using it, we can work towards covering the entire web of sustainability. Each action drives rail’s transformation. Finding out your sustainability maturity will help you find the most important actions for you.
Find out your sustainability maturity.
Other articles you might be interested in:
Graham Mollison of Southeastern tells us what systems thinking really means.
Mark Hopwood talking about battery trains on Great Western Railway
James Brown of Belvoir Rail discussing innovation in rail
Watch the Spotlight on Safety video about rail’s response extreme weather