Air Quality

Introduction

Air quality is recognised as a significant public health issue, with between 28,000 and 36,000 deaths a year attributed to long-term exposure to air pollution.  Transport sector emissions are a major contributor to air pollution in the UK. On a national level, emissions from rail may be relatively minor, but these can be significant at a local level.

As road emissions reduce, driven by regulation, policy and technological advances, the rail industry must be pro-active to ensure air quality on the rail network is understood and managed appropriately and effectively.