Published on: Wednesday, 27 March 2024
Last updated: Wednesday, 27 March 2024
Above: New Greater Anglia train passes a rail station garden. Credit: Greater Anglia
Train operator, Greater Anglia, has been recognised as a ‘Net Zero Pioneer’ for its efforts to cut carbon emissions and become more sustainable.
The company beat other train operators and rail industry organisations to win the award at the Spotlight Rail Awards, held on 21 March 2024.
The award recognises Greater Anglia’s work to reduce its carbon emissions by over 39% in the last three years; to become more energy efficient; to minimise waste; and to improve biodiversity at its stations - including the excellent efforts of community rail partnerships and over 330 station adopter volunteers to create wildlife friendly gardens and spaces, which have been further encouraged and accredited through the train operator’s Wildlife Friendly Stations accreditation scheme.
In addition, Greater Anglia has also implemented measures to reduce diesel use, for example, with the introduction of additional maintenance and fuelling facilities at Colchester, which have reduced the need for additional train journeys back to Norwich for trains to be fuelled or make extra trips to undergo some essential maintenance checks.
Another positive initiative, completed in the last 12 months, sees its new fleet of Stadler bi-mode trains now switching between diesel and electric power while on the move, at key locations across the Greater Anglia network, further reducing diesel consumption and maximising the more carbon-friendly use of electric power, wherever practical.
Greater Anglia’s Managing Director, Jamie Burles, said,
“I am delighted that Greater Anglia has received this award. As a business, we are always working to become ever more sustainable and we have consistently reduced our emissions for the last three years in a row, in support of the wider rail industry’s aims to achieve net zero by 2030.
“It is very encouraging to have the efforts of our teams recognised in this way. It highlights that every rail journey taken on our network, instead of in a car, is helping to reduce emissions in East Anglia, tackle climate change and reduce pollution – and that we are continually making positive progress in our efforts to be an even more environmentally-friendly transport provider.”
Greater Anglia was also a finalist in the Train Operator of the Year and Corporate Social Responsibility categories at the awards.