Research shows that trains are the most environmentally friendly form of transport after cycling and walking, with greenhouse gas emissions per kilometre by rail being far less than cars.

Greater Anglia has been working to minimise its own carbon emissions and become more sustainable as an organisation – introducing new more energy efficient trains, cutting waste, increasing recycling and working with partners and communities on projects to improve sustainability and biodiversity at its stations.

Juliette Maxam, Greater Anglia, says: “We’re sustainable in everything that we do and last year we reduced our carbon emissions by 11%. We’re working with other partners like the Carbon Trust to make improvements this year as well. But it’s also about biodiversity and we’ve got 56 station gardens, looked after by our teams of station adopters.”

The teams of volunteer ‘station adopters’ help to look after their local rail stations for the benefit of their local community and some stations have been transformed into wildlife havens following additional planting and maintenance.

The gardens, some of which have been developed over many years, are becoming havens for local wildlife populations and with the railway increasingly being recognised by ecologists as a ‘green corridor’, they provide a sanctuary for many kinds of flora and fauna.

In a recent survey, Greater Anglia station adopters reported a wide range of biodiversity including a range of butterfly species, bees, slow-worms, bats, foxes, deer and various different types of birds.

In total over 6,400 square metres of gardens are being tended across the network (the equivalent of five Olympic-sized swimming pools) and one of these teams of station adopters is at Manningtree Station on the Norwich to London mainline.

Adopt a Station volunteer, Kerry King, says: “I live in Manningtree and I’ve always been involved in the community and this is such a great community project.

“I feel climate change is a problem for everybody, whatever area they live in. I’m worried about my grandchildren who are all actually pretty good at thinking about what they can do to help the environment. If everybody did something, rather than nothing, it’s got to help make things better.”

During 2020/21 Greater Anglia created over 800 extra bicycle parking spaces to make it easier and more attractive for people to cycle to their local station and it has over 10,000 cycle spaces in its cycle parks across the network. The company is replacing all its old trains with new, longer trains with better environmental performance.

Greater Anglia has worked with The Carbon Trust to quantify its environmental impact and better understand its carbon emissions, as part of an aim to become even greener and more sustainable. In its first Environment and Energy Annual Report, it reports that last year (208/19 – 2019/20) its total carbon emissions reduced by 11%, which has prevented 13,570 tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere.

Much of this reduction, says Greater Anglia, was due to the National Grid using more renewable sources of energy to create the electricity that powers Greater Anglia trains and stations. Energy-efficiency programmes at stations have also helped and the replacement of all old diesel trains with brand new much greener trains will help it to continue to reduce its environmental impact.

See here for Greater Anglia’s Environment and Energy Annual Report 2020.

Or why not find out more about the Station Adopter Scheme.