Making the railway more sustainable RSSB’s Sustainable Development Specialist Michelle Papayannakos, talks to us about what the industry is doing to make rail greener and gives us an insight into RSSB’s Sustainable Development programme. The railway industry is a significant energy user in the UK. Reducing energy consumption and therefore carbon emissions is fundamentally important for long-term global economic, social and environmental sustainability. As the UK population continues to grow and with an increase in passengers using the railways the
demand for new strategic infrastructure rises, as does the need to maintain, modernise and renew existing assets. In addition to this challenge, extreme weather events over the last few years have shown us that the rail industry must develop a ‘predict and prevent’ ethos to tackle climate change impacts on our rail infrastructure.
The Rail Industry Sustainable Development Principles: These Principles represent the core values of the rail industry and are fundamental in delivering a sustainable railway at the centre of the transport system that meets the travel needs of society, without compromising future quality of life. The principles’ purpose is to inform and become an integral part of the industry’s culture and decisionmaking processes, taking account of whole system and whole life cycle approaches. It is recognised that the principles will need to be balanced to achieve a sustainable transport system that contributes to prosperity, the wellbeing of people and the health of the planet. In relation to energy and carbon the Rail Sustainability Principles necessitate: • encouraging a shift of passengers and freight from
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