BUSINESS TRAVEL FORUM
RAIL SUSTAINABILITY
TIME TO TAKE STOCK Rail operators and travel managers put their heads together at the inaugural Business Travel Lunch Forum
T
ravel managers called for more data and better communication about the sustainability benefits of travelling by train when they met with rail operators at the inaugural Business Travel Lunch Forum. The event, kindly supported by South Western Railway (SWR), took place in May over a three-course lunch in one of the elegant dining rooms at The Caledonian Club in London’s Belgravia.
Buyers engaged in an informal and lively discussion with representatives from SWR, Great Western Railway, Avanti West Coast and the Rail Delivery Group. They learned how switching to rail from other modes of transport can play a major part in helping their companies meet their sustainability goals. While rail accounts for 10% of journeys in the UK, it is responsible for just 1% of transport emissions.
Buyers were told that a high-speed train travelling at 250mph emits just one tenth of the CO2 emissions per passenger of the average aircraft, and half the emissions of an electric car. But in a bid to strengthen its position as the most sustainable transport option, the rail industry is working hard to further decarbonise train travel through electrification and the use of hydrogen, batteries, and the latest green technologies. It is aiming for 100% of its electricity to be produced from renewable sources by the mid-2030s. Currently, just over 40% of the UK rail network is electrified, although 70% of trains run on electrified tracks. Buyers said they were keen to support the rail industry and encourage their travellers to switch to trains but said the rail industry must do a better job at spreading its sustainability message. One buyer cited an example of how the hotel sector is changing guest behaviour with signage in bathrooms encouraging people to reuse their towels and spelling out the positive environmental impact of their actions. He suggested rail operators might share similar messaging on their trains or elsewhere, extolling the sustainability benefits of going by rail.
DID YOU KNOW?
THE SAME AMOUNT OF CARBON USED TO PRODUCE ONE PLASTIC BOTTLE CAN TAKE YOU 2KM BY TRAIN, WHICH MEANS THAT FOR THE NUMBER OF PLASTIC BOTTLES THE UK USES IN A DAY, YOU COULD TRAVEL BY TRAIN AROUND THE WORLD 1,750 TIMES
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