Rail industry launches new sustainability campaign to inspire Gen Z to travel by train

Network Rail and rail industry partners have launched a campaign to inspire Gen Z customers to travel more by train and help the fight against climate change. 

Called A Greener Future, the campaign aims to encourage Gen Z to choose the train over the car and explain that just one journey by train can make a significant and positive impact on the environment.

Through:

• Choosing the train instead of a car saves the same carbon as boiling a kettle up to 455 times.
• Switching from car to train, you could save enough carbon to power your phone for up to eight years. 
• An average train journey puts nearly five times less carbon emissions into the air than making the equivalent journey by car

The campaign has been created in collaboration with the Rail Delivery Group and the Campaign for Better Transport.

Martin Frobisher OBE, engineering and safety director at Network Rail, said: “Rail is one of the greenest forms of transport, and we as an industry is working hard to make it even greener, by investing in electrification, renewable energy, and taking care of the rich variety of wildlife and plants that live along the thousands of miles of land that surrounds the railway. 

“We hope that this campaign will inspire young people that travelling by rail is part of the solution. That just one journey by train, rather than by car, can make a huge difference in helping protect the planet.”

Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive Officer at Rail Delivery Group said: “Travelling by train is a simple way to make a greener choice. When looking at the sustainability of different modes of transport our railways are hard to beat, and it’s one of the great benefits of making rail your first choice. We are committed to helping our railways to grow, with more people taking the train over other modes of transport we can all play our part one journey at a time.”

Silviya Barrett, Director of Policy and Campaigns at Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Taking the train is already the greenest way to travel and with more rail lines being electrified, it’s only getting greener. Choosing the train is one of the simplest things you can do to minimise your carbon footprint and make a difference, one journey at a time.” 

George Davies, Sustainable Development Director, Rail Safety and Standards Board: “The railway is the least carbon intensive way to transport lots of people or goods, and the industry is working to make it even more so in the future. 

“Moving more passengers and freight by rail is going to help achieve Net Zero. Get involved and make a difference, choose the train.”

The campaign is part of the rail industry’s wider efforts to reduce carbon emissions and support the government’s strategy to achieve net zero by 2050 and create a more sustainable railway network by investing in electrification, renewable energy and biodiversity, and promoting rail as the greenest form of public transport. 

As one of Britain’s biggest landowners, Network Rail is responsible for looking after the rich biodiversity that lives along the rail network, and employs full-time ecologists who work with contractors and in-house staff to manage lineside vegetation, from trees to shrubs, to protect trains and encourage wildlife too. Examples that can be seen along the lineside include woodpiles, bug hotels and strategic planting. 

A Greener Future campaign will run across various channels, including social media, digital platforms, and outdoor advertising, until April 2024.