We’ll cut our carbon so that the railway will be net-zero emissions by 2045 in Scotland and by 2050 in the rest of Britain.
It’s crucial that we do everything we can as a business to improve air quality, minimise our use of fossil fuels, and transition to an industry powered by green, renewable, low-carbon energy to play our part in tackling the global climate crisis.
That’s why we’re proud to be the first railway organisation in the world to set ambitious science-based targets to cut carbon emissions and help limit global warming to 1.5°C. And we’re working with suppliers so that, by 2025, 75% of our suppliers, when measured by their emissions, have science-based targets too.
How are we going to reduce our emissions?
Air quality
Reducing our carbon emissions is just one part of achieving a clean railway – the air quality at our stations, our offices and lineside worksites is also very important to us. We want cleaner air for the safety of our staff, railway users, neighbours, and the environment from harmful pollutants.
Air emissions from activities like using diesel engines can have a huge impact on air quality, especially in local urban areas, and can significantly affect people’s health. That’s why we’ve committed in our Environmental Sustainability Strategy to managing air quality across our own operations and collaborating across the industry to improve air quality through necessary behavioural and technology changes, working with operators, and with our supply chains.