Philbert Chan
Air Quality Lead, RSSB
Imagine you’re on a platform, waiting for the train doors to open. You hear the rumble of the engine, feel the heat it gives off, and smell diesel fumes in the air.
Each additional minute has a hidden cost to our environment, our health, and our industry’s purse. Excessive idling of diesel trains is the leading cause of poor air quality in stations.
Additionally, it contributes to noise pollution for those living near stations and depots, wastes fuel, increases carbon emissions, and can add to maintenance costs.
Appetite for benefits
There’s a huge appetite in rail to harness the benefits of reducing engine idling: lower operating costs and healthier staff, passengers, and neighbours. Our research found potential savings of up to £20 million per year in fuel costs. Further, the emissions from avoidable idling have an estimated £45 million annual cost to society due to its impact on human health, productivity, public amenity, and the health of the environment.
But, reducing idling isn’t as easy as a driver simply turning an ignition key. Some idling is necessary to maintain essential services such as lighting and air conditioning as trains are prepared for departure, and some drivers may worry that turning engines on and off will cause delays or affect their performance.
With a variety of rolling stock and services running through thousands of stations daily, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Tailor-made strategies
So, building on our research findings, we have published a seven-step pocket guide that allows train operators to tailor-make their own idling reduction strategy.
It unpacks how to develop data analysis capability, identify why engines are left running, and what idling could be avoided. Building on this critical foundation, the guide helps you to develop specific and effective idling reduction approaches, target interventions, and track your progress.
Uniquely placed to bring industry together, RSSB recently hosted a workshop for passenger diesel train operators, rolling stock companies, and Network Rail to share their individual efforts and processes for reducing idling.
The initiative aims to foster collaboration across organisations, building on successful examples like the multi-operator co-operation already under way at major hubs such as Birmingham New Street.
These workshops will become an annual event, with additional sessions planned for individual stations to ensure this vital work continues to gain momentum.
Thankfully, reducing unnecessary idling isn’t a problem that requires significant investment, major engineering work, or supply chain disruption to solve—but it does rely on strong, dedicated leadership.
Embedding new good practice means changing how train drivers are accustomed to working. If leaders acknowledge the importance of this initiative, and cascade that confidence throughout their organisation, we’ll see the best benefits for health, safety, and our economic bottom line.