Value to society and sustainability

2025-26 Commitments

Driving social value and innovation

To maintain rail's sustainability lead, our research will focus on dynamic battery charging and novel tech, with lithium battery work delivering in 27/28. View the roadmap and scroll to explore our sustainability plan.

The problem and our approach

Although rail has the reputation as the best sustainable transport mode, other transport sectors are becoming more sustainable too. We will keep a relentless focus on delivering the Sustainable Rail Blueprint (The Blueprint).

Our approach will be guided by using novel and existing technology to deliver practical change. That change needs to be sustainable and deliver value for money.

Sustainability cuts across the whole sector so our business plan contains sustainability initiatives across most of our industry challenges. However, some areas need particular focus in our research, such as maximising existing electrification capacity and how best to use light rail vehicles on mainline rail infrastructure.

2025-26 Commitments

We will:

provide guidance to maximise the use of existing electrification capability before large capital investments are needed. The use of battery and multimode trains is growing on the network, but this creates operational challenges such as the need for reliable, fast power changeover and how to manage increased electrical demand. We will deliver research that provides more electric paths and dynamic battery charging on AC electrified routes.
benefit deprived areas and enable regional and industry growth by supporting the use of novel and light rail vehicles on existing mainline rail infrastructure. We will provide guidance to enable cost effective use of new technology, using case studies as appropriate.
generate more than £1m of social value for rail. We will work collaboratively with our members and industry partners to deliver societal impact and create social value. We will do this through programmes led by the Social Sustainability Working Group which focus on social mobility, education, and community.