Podcast highlights: Season 2, Episode 11

Stacey explains that the Blueprint was created to align all parts of the rail industry around one vision of sustainability. It covers 11 sustainable rail topics across:

• emissions
• the natural environment
• social sustainability.

The Blueprint, says Stacey, is already driving alignment and key strategic planning in the industry.

To set the scene, she highlights several RSSB initiatives prompted by the Blueprint over the past year. The creation of our sustainability training, for example, has been a major achievement.

The new Realising Sustainable Rail e-learning course focuses on key sustainability topics. It also covers the roles people can play in promoting a sustainable railway. It’s freely available to all rail industry workers.

A new Sustainable Rail Leadership course was also launched. It equips current and future leaders to champion sustainability in their companies.

But it’s the Blueprint’s adoption in wider industry that has impressed us most.

Member success stories

Stacey shares examples from our members that have embedded the Blueprint into their work.

Southeastern’s sustainability strategy now aligns closely with the Blueprint’s goals. They’re showing progress in:

• water conservation
• waste management
• climate resilience.

ScotRail’s Climate Action Plan references the Blueprint, too. They’re also using RSSB’s sustainability tools and services.

Greater Anglia is another example. They’re working to update their sustainability strategy with the Blueprint. And they’re using our Sustainability Maturity Tool to track their progress.

Supporting our members

We support our members through initiatives aligned with the Blueprint, Stacey explains. The working group structure brings together industry leads across different sustainability topics. This enables them to:

• share best practices
• upskill
• drive collaboration.

The Sustainable Rail Forum and working groups promote knowledge sharing in the industry.

We also provide a range of tools, services, and guidance for members. These include the Realising Sustainable Rail e-learning course and the Sustainability Maturity Tool.

Also, the Sustainable Development team is always on hand to assist and provide technical expertise. You can contact them if you’d like help embedding the Blueprint at your company.

Future direction

Looking ahead, Stacey stresses that the Blueprint will continue to guide the industry. This will be the case even as it moves toward nationalisation.

Throughout this period of transition, Stacey advises rail firms to keep working together and learning from others’ challenges and solutions.

We’ll keep the Blueprint up to date to reflect the latest policies, regulatory requirements, and best practices.