Key Facts

Network Rail holds Environmental Awards for its suppliers stakeholders, for example, contractors, suppliers, train operating and freight operating companies & rail community groups who have the best environmental practices & performance.

Our environmental stakeholders include:

  • Environment Agency
  • Natural England
  • Scottish Natural Heritage
  • Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
  • Countryside Council for Wales
  • Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
  • Water UK
  • Local Authorities
  • Wildlife Trusts
  • Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
  • World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
  • Specialist environmental groups, such as the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
  • Local environmental groups, such as the Warwickshire Amphibian and Reptile Team (WART)
  • Other non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Managing the Environment

The safety, reliability and efficiency of the railway always come first but we have an obligation to look after the environment as well

Our approach

Our approach is to focus on the key environmental issues facing us - vegetation, waste, climate change, biodiversity and land management.

We have an environment policy which sets out our vision and commitment to the environment and Our Environmental Management System measures our environmental risks and sets out how to manage them. Our environmental standards are based on the principles of the international standard, ISO 14001. We set environmental standards for contractors which they are contractually obliged to meet.

Taking maintenance in-house has meant that we have been able to introduce consistently high environmental management standards across the network.

Helping employees & contractors to look after the environment

We run training programmes and produce a number of publications & guidance documents to help our employees & contractors understand the impact that they have on the environment and learn how to manage it. Our Environmental Handbook explains how each of our key issues can affect working on site and how they should be managed.

Looking after the environment is so important to us that we celebrate our stakeholders and suppliers who have made the biggest contribution in our annual Environmental Awards.

Plans for the Future

Over the long-term, we want to the railway to continue to be one of the most sustainable forms of transport.