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Friday 22 Jun 2007

RAIL INDUSTRY CELEBRATES GREEN ACHIEVEMENTS

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National

The world's first high speed hybrid train, 90% reduction in railway crime in one community, 500 hours of community time volunteered, 25% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2012 by one train operator and a rare butterfly species protected. These achievements are all in a day's work for the winners of the Network Rail Environment Awards. The finalists were recognised at the 2007 Network Rail Environment awards, held last night at the Natural History Museum. Presented by Philippa Forrester - well known for presenting Tomorrow's World and Robot Wars - the awards highlight the very best in environmental practice across the railway industry. Entrants were invited to submit nominations to a judging panel including Network Rail's Chief Executive John Armitt and Deputy Chief Executive Iain Coucher, who were looking for projects which demonstrated innovation and passion for the environment. John Armitt commented: "All of this year's winners have gone above and beyond the call of duty whatever their role to minimise the impact of the railway industry on the surrounding environment. Network Rail hopes the calibre of this year's entrants will inspire even greater contributions over the next year continuing to set the standard for the very best in environmental practice across the industry." Over seventy entries were received and the following were selected as the winners for each of the seven categories. Biodiversity Protection Award Dean and Dyball were awarded for successfully preserving the habitat of the endangered large blue butterfly which was threatened during embankment works near Castley Hill in Somerset. Efficiency Award Eurostar's Environment Group was set up in November 2006 to investigate how to reduce the environmental impact across the entire Eurostar operation. One of the group's main initiatives is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25% per traveller journey by 2012. Independent research was commissioned to highlight and promote the environmental benefits of travelling by rail to Northern Europe over short haul flights. Community Partnership Award The award went to Arriva Trains Wales, George Romary and John Toler (two local residents) for the Borth station murals project. As part of the Arriva Trains Wales 'adopt a station' scheme the community in Borth has created a series of murals to make the station a more welcoming place. Children were encouraged to take part in painting the murals and learn about the dangers of playing on the railway. Rail Crime Prevention Award Lawmuir Primary School scooped this award for introducing Rail Safety Representatives; the first project of its kind in the UK. The reps are responsible for promoting safe use of the railway to their fellow pupils through assemblies, competitions and projects. Bellshill is one of the worst effected areas in Scotland for rail crime, however since the introduction of the Rail Safety Representatives there has been a 90% reduction in rail crime. Innovation Award Porterbrook Leasing in collaboration with Hitachi have converted a high speed train car to run as the world's first high speed hybrid train. The train will recover energy lost in breaking to re-use; this is already common in electric trains but an innovation for diesel trains. The development of this train has combined established railway engineering with new Japanese technology and innovation. Individual Contribution Award This award was presented to Peter Pritchard and Kenny Coates of McNicholas Construction for dramatically changing the working practice and aesthetic environment of their depot. Environmentally friendly storage solutions have been introduced and waste products re-used to create trellises, flower beds and outdoor seating areas. Team Contribution Award Southern Railways were awarded for their Brighton Depot recycling scheme. The work practices at the depot have been completely overhauled with nearly all waste produced being recycled. This focus on sustainability is now engrained into the work ethic of the depot improving efficiency and making everyone's jobs easier. Highly Commended The Association of Train Operators was highly commended in the Efficiency category for their investigative project into the use of future fuels. The project will help the rail industry to prepare for a new fuel strategy. Midland Mainline was highly commended in the Team Contribution category for their corporate social responsibility programme, Momentum. The programme aims to work with key organisations in the community to engage young people in environmental issues.