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Thursday 16 Jun 2022

Passengers encouraged to top up from the station tap on World Refill Day

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Passengers travelling through two of Scotland’s busiest railway stations are being encouraged to top up with Scottish tap water as part of a global campaign to prevent plastic pollution.

World Refill Day takes place today (June 16) and rail passengers can make use of revamped water points at Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley stations to keep hydrated and help make single-use plastic a thing of the past.

Thanks to a partnership between Network Rail and Scottish Water, the refill points have been given a bespoke new look in an initiative that seeks to benefit passenger well-being, their pockets, and the planet.

The collaboration also combines Network Rail’s drive for sustainability, linking ‘Scotland’s Railway Greener in the making’ with the ‘Your Water Your Life’ campaign led by Scottish Water.

Ross Moran, Network Rail Head of Operations Delivery for Scotland, said: “This is another exciting part of our sustainability strategy. In recent years we have reduced our carbon footprint at our stations, introducing various initiatives including more sustainable lighting and implementing robust recycling processes. These have also been supported by companies in the station.

"So, we are delighted to partner with Scottish Water to promote our water bottle refill points which will enable passengers to stay hydrated whilst they are on the go.”

Brian Lironi, Director of Corporate Affairs at Scottish Water, said: “People across Scotland who have used our Top Up Taps have saved the equivalent of one and a half million single-use plastic bottles through staying hydrated on the move with reusable bottles.

“We’re delighted that Network Rail is joining the wave and encouraging people to think about their health and the planet by making a virtue of these refill points in Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley.

“These stations are the gateway to and from Scotland’s busiest cities for many thousands of travellers every day and we’re delighted that they can enjoy Scotland’s public tap water as they arrive or depart the station.”

In Glasgow Central, the rebranded bottle refill stations are located across from costa coffee and opposite the ticket gate at platforms 9 and 10. Passengers in Edinburgh can find the water points opposite platform 5 and in the main booking hall.

As part of the ‘Greener in the making’ campaign, Scotland’s Railway is committed to decarbonising passenger rail services by 2035.

Scottish Water supplies 1.5 billion litres of water a day to customers throughout the country. The ‘Your Water Your Life’ campaign has led to a new network of Top Up Taps including a number in Glasgow and Edinburgh.