As a business and as individuals, we all have to work together to help tackle climate change. Even though we are already a low-carbon mode of transport, we are committed to reducing our environmental impact ever further.
very day, we operate 2,300 rail services – carrying thousands of passengers. Getting people to choose to travel by train rather than by car is, in itself, good for the environment. But we know that there is more that we can do to lessen our impact on the world around us.
The ambitious targets set for us by the Scottish government require a commitment to reduce energy use across the business. We aren’t just meeting those targets – we are exceeding them. These targets, a critical part of the franchise agreement’s committed obligations, require us to take action to tackle climate change and support the transition to a low carbon economy.
Our committed obligations require a 4 per cent reduction in the energy used in stations and depots – with a 7.45 per cent reduction achieved; and a 1 per cent reduction in the energy used to power trains – with a 9.8 per cent reduction achieved.
Through actions like the introduction of more electric trains, assistance for drivers, and increased investment, we are making considerable environmental and energy performance enhancements. Extending electrification across the network has been central in the success of meeting the targets, with growing numbers of class 385 electric trains being introduced to support a carbon efficient fleet.
Drivers are trained extensively on eco driving techniques and the Driver Advisory System (DAS), installed across the fleet, assists in promoting energy efficient travel. Stations and depots across Scotland are being made more sustainable through behavioural improvements via training for staff and investment in new technology to reduce energy usage.
As well as reducing our own impact on the environment, we also have to plan for climate change adaptation which is essential for the successful future of our business. We want to understand the vulnerabilities and risks we face as a result of climate change and then take action to make our business resilient, to enable us to sustain our support for the Scottish economy whilst increasing passenger and stakeholder confidence. That’s why we have measures in place to mitigate potential impacts to the business via our Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan, which we will manage in partnership with Network Rail, and have integrated both the risks and our action plan within our Environmental Management System (EMS).
But we aren’t complacent, we are continuing to drive performance by investing and trialling new technology and build resilience to climate change into our business processes, in order to maintain a reliable train service. It’s all part of our plan to build the best railway Scotland has ever had.
