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Rail industry looks to deliver a sustainable railway for passengers

Rail industry leaders have united in a robust call for a sustainable future which builds on rail’s obvious strengths and targets more electrification, at the sector’s first industry-wide sustainable development conference.  

Senior figures from across the rail industry met at the Railways – A Sustainable Future conference in London, 31 October 2007, organised by Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), as part of the Sustainable Rail Programme.  The pronouncement comes as rail seeks to respond to the challenges emerging as a result of a successful and growing railway, recognising that rail needs to embrace the opportunity to contribute to a sustainable transport system.

The conference gave Transport Minister Tom Harris MP the opportunity to spell out his own vision which made mention of the Department for Transport (DfT)’s recently launched consultation paper: 'Towards a Sustainable Transport System: Supporting economic growth in a low carbon world'. 

The Minister acknowledged the industry’s own call to devote more attention to further electrification, seen by the industry as a key component of a sustainable railway serving the needs of the economy, society and environment.   On this, Harris emphasised the Government’s focus on capacity rather than further electrification at this stage.  It follows a recent joint letter sent by Network Rail and the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) to the Secretary of State, calling for more prominence for electrification on the agenda.

The conference also neatly coincided with the launch of Network Rail’s Strategic Business Plan 2009-2014 which includes annual investment of £2billion over five years on capacity and services.

Len Porter, Chairman of the Sustainable Development Steering Group, and Chief Executive of RSSB said:
“This is a key turning point for the rail industry, which has a united vision for its future of a well integrated, flexible, energy efficient railway at the heart of an integrated transport system.  Over the next five years, given the urgency of this issue, we must build on the existing White Paper – “Delivering a Sustainable Railway” and the Technical Strategy in order to establish how we will deliver those objectives.”

"We need every assistance from Government, not least to deliver a sound energy policy that moves us towards a reliable supply of low carbon electricity. This needs to be high on the agenda but we, the industry, need to speak with one voice and let the Government know what is possible.  This is our job."

Other points of interest from the conference included:

• A call from Stephen Joseph, Executive Director for the Campaign for Better Transport, to plan for the entire door-to-door journey and rail’s role in a wider sustainable transport system.
• An aspiration to deliver lighter trains, with faster acceleration, lower infrastructure impact and lower energy use – epitomised by the aims and objectives of the Intercity Express programme.
• A thorough consideration of future energy needs of the rail industry, including integrating the Government’s respective transport and energy policies.
• The practical steps the industry is already undertaking towards cleaner fuels, sustainable biodiesel, regenerative braking and future power technologies
• A sustainable community is a well-connected community.  Rail must be physically accessible, sufficiently frequent and affordable to fully facilitate social inclusion. 
• Consideration of transport links in the planning system is critical to developing sustainable communities, to capitalise on rail’s ability to enable economic growth and greater social accessibility.

The conference formed part of the Sustainable Rail Programme, a future-looking cross-industry initiative led by executive director-level representatives from Network Rail, train operating companies, rolling stock leasing companies (ROSCOs), Railway Industry Association (RIA), Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), Department for Transport (DfT), Office for Rail Regulation (ORR) as well as Transport for London (TfL), Transport Scotland and the Railway Forum.  The programme, which has become a driving force for future activity on sustainable development, is facilitated by RSSB. 
       

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For further information, please contact the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) press office, on 020 7904 7524 / 7525 / 7593 or visit the website on www.rssb.co.uk

Notes to editors:

1. The Sustainable Rail Programme is led by the cross-industry Sustainable Development Steering Group (SDSG) comprising industry and Government executives, supported by the Rail Sustainable Development Group (RSDG).  Its members include executive director-level representation from Network Rail, train operating companies, rolling stock leasing companies (ROSCOs), the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), the Railway Industry Association (RIA), the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), the Department for Transport (DfT), the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) as well as Transport for London (TfL), Transport Scotland and the Railway Forum. 

2. Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) builds industry-wide consensus and facilitates the resolution of difficult cross-industry issues. We provide knowledge, analysis, a substantial level of technical expertise, powerful information and risk management tools. This delivers a unique mix to the industry across a whole range of subject areas.