Our Impact on the Environment

Rail transport (when well used by passengers or freight) is more energy efficient than road transport. It also has significantly lower carbon dioxide emissions per kilometre travelled.

Rail also has considerably less impact on air quality and noise levels than road or air transport. It also consumes far less land than roads. In fact, four railway lines can fit into one three-lane motorway.

Timber purchasing

All the wooden sleepers that we buy are from producers certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or from those significantly working towards its standards. We are also a member of the WWF’s Forest & Trade Network. We are not required to do this by law. We do it because we understand that sustainable management of forests is very important.

Environmental incidents

We have proper procedures for all aspects of managing our environment. Even so, we recognise that accidents can happen and so have proper procedures for responding to environmental emergencies as well.

Oil, fuel & chemical spillages, for example, need to be contained & cleared up immediately because of the damage they can do to water sources, soil & habitats. When an incident occurs, the Network Rail Production Control is contacted so they can provide specialist assistance. We also involve the Environment Agency or Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA). For less serious incidents, our staff will use special spill kits but for more serious incidents, we will call out an emergency response contractor.

All significant incidents are investigated to find out why they happened and to recommend actions that can be taken to prevent reoccurrences.