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TRU sustainability strategy

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Rail Engineer has reported on the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) programme a number of times. The last article, published in 2023, identified that sustainability and social values are an important feature of the programme. For this issue we were delighted to talk to Anna Humphries, head of sustainability and social value at TRU, to learn more about the programme’s sustainability strategy and what is being achieved.

Anna Humphries

TRU is a multi-billion-pound, transformative programme to improve connectivity for both passenger and freight services, and to support economic growth in the North. Transpennine is a busy, challenging route through built up areas, with difficult access. Very few work sites are on flat land and the route goes through several areas where the rock is shallow, following river valleys up and down the Pennines. With 23 stations, the route crosses numerous bridges and viaducts, 29 level crossings, through six miles of tunnels, and through areas with a history of mining. The route improvements include full end-to-end electrification between Manchester and York, reduced journey times, more trains, greater reliability, and with a train capability of 8 x 24 metre carriages.

The impressive programme will provide a greener, more reliable, and faster railway. It will provide the capability to move more goods by rail, with up to 15 more freight trains removing over 1,000 lorries from the road each day. Providing greener travel with a reduced carbon footprint and improved air quality is great; but there is much more that a once in a generation programme like TRU can deliver to benefit society. This is the objective of the programme’s sustainability strategy, which is called the ‘Our Guiding Compass’ and which will take everyone at TRU on a sustainability journey.

Anna is a chartered environmentalist who has been working at Network Rail for nine years and has been with the TRU programme for the last two years. She previously worked in the construction industry for 20 years providing environment management expertise for a number of principle construction contractors. Before moving to the client side of the industry, Anna worked in consultancy and contractor delivery, leading change and driving improved sustainability performance across major projects, with companies such as Amey and Halcrow.

She has also worked for the Environment Agency and her experience in rail projects includes East West Rail, Midland Main Line Electrification, and the Network Rail HS2 interfaces. So, TRU has an experienced industrial environmentalist, with knowledge and experience of both construction delivery, and the government’s environmental protection and improvement requirements.

Guiding compass

Rail is a relatively low carbon, environmentally friendly form of transport. However, large programmes like TRU can impact neighbourhoods and communities negatively during construction. But, if managed correctly, they can also provide a positive contribution to local businesses, communities, the environment, and social value, while providing a better sustainable efficient railway for the next generation.

Anna explained that the ‘Our Guiding Compass’ approach to sustainability is to push the boundaries of what is expected and what is possible in a programme like TRU. The strategy is designed to drive innovation and focus on where the programme can achieve the best outcomes for local communities and lead the rail industry. Anna intends the ‘Guiding Compass’ to be the sustainability model for both Network Rail and other major projects.

TRU is being delivered by the TRU Enterprise, which brings together all the key parties (Network Rail, Department of Transport, train operators, freight operators, and delivery partners) in a ‘whole railway’ approach. This ensures TRU delivers real outputs to passengers and freight to enable the best balance between infrastructure, timetable, and rolling stock to deliver the right outcomes at minimal time and cost. The Enterprise is committed to working together to design, build, and operate TRU in a way that puts customers first and to deliver sustainability and a positive impact to the local area. This built on three key objectives to facilitate a bigger positive impact on the communities they are working within and leading to a longer lasting legacy:

  • Actively support, promote, and deliver the ‘Our Guiding Compass’ sustainability strategy, while always looking at opportunities to do even more.
  • Understand that building a sustainable railway for the North is essential.
  • Recognise that all decisions made by the Enterprise will have short-term and long-term economic, environmental, and social impacts for the local communities.

Economic growth

The strategy says that TRU will work with local businesses of all sizes to deliver a legacy of economic growth in the region. It also recognises that the construction and operation of TRU will create employment and business opportunities along the route, and that TRU will encourage new entrants into the rail industry through work experience and apprenticeships.

TRU will act as a custodian for the natural environment through design, delivery, and operation to deliver a fully electrified route, with more electric-powered trains to reduce carbon and air quality impacts. TRU will also reduce carbon from the infrastructure, adopt circular economy principals and support sustainable sourcing, and minimise pollution while looking at renewable energy and biodiversity opportunities on or near the line. The programme will deliver a more resilient railway, that is fit for current weather conditions and future climate change impacts. This will provide safe, reliable, and accessible travel for both freight and passengers.

Minimising the need for maintenance, and a robust approach to weather resilience and climate change during design, will ensure TRU proactively identifies and manages risks early in the design process. For example, a thorough review of earthworks along the route, involving the asset managers and maintenance teams, and the use of new forecasting models and techniques is allowing TRU to assess and mitigate risk from changing weather patterns through innovative design and nature-based solutions.

Through a ‘First and Last Mile’ (F&LM) strategy, TRU is working with various authorities to identify new funding to improve the conditions around the stations to improve active travel, connectivity and facilties available. The programme is also looking to close and replace a number of level crossings, to improve safety along the line of route. TRU will also improve lineside safety measures, such as fencing, and via their inclusive safety education programme will highlight the dangers of the railway – especially with the route being newly electrified.

Working with communities

TRU is also committed to improving the lives of those living in the areas it is working in. The Enterprise will ensure they minimise disruption and invest in wellbeing, education, and community spaces to leave a net positive impact on society.

By 2035 the overarching objectives of the ‘Our Guiding Compass’ are to:

  • Deliver a minimum 50p value to society for every £1 spent on construction of the programme, generating £4.28 billion of social value.
  • Create new jobs both directly and indirectly, including 8,000 new and safeguarded roles as well as 590 apprentices created during construction.
  • Spend a minimum 25% with local businesses to drive further growth in the North.
  • Reduce the carbon to operate the railway by 230,000 tonnes CO2e, leading to a total saving of 6 million tonnes CO2e over the 60-year programme design life.
  • Preserve and enhance the natural landscape to increase biodiversity and deliver a minimum 10% net gain.
  • Engage over 100,000 young people through an inclusive education student programme, and deliver 25,000 hours volunteering in the community to develop job skills and shape public spaces for the communities that use them.

Anna explained the progress which is already being achieved in delivering the demanding targets, which is summarised in Table 1 and all targets are progressing above predicted targeted performance levels.

Impressive as these numbers are, some programmes and projects can be very output driven and focus on hitting their numbers. However, Anna is keen to stress that the important thing is to focus on outcomes and to ensure the programmes are doing the right thing. The TRU apprenticeships, for example, must provide the right experiences for the students to deliver rail programmes such as TRU well into the future.

Anna explained that TRU and its industry partners is also launching a new exciting enterprise apprentice scheme which will provide trainees the opportunity to train with a number of contractors, train operators, and Network Rail, so that they receive good ‘rounded’ railway engineering knowledge and experience, rather than focusing on just one area. This recognises that the railway is a ‘system of systems’ which are now more connected than ever, and which must work together to deliver safe, efficient, and cost-effective transportation.

Environment improvements

There is a lot of effort from all contractors and alliances looking to reduce carbon emissions by adopting innovative ways of doing things to meet the stretching target, such as opportunties to provide solar farms to power traction energy. Anna has developed a first of its kind Environment Performance Indicator (EPI) score which is a leading indicator to drive improvements in environmental management and performance on the ground, and to drive best practise and innovation with the supply chain and delivery partners. It is early days, but after just three periods this is already driving improvement behaviours.

TRU is dedicated to eliminating unnecessary waste and 90% of any waste that is generated from the programme will be recycled or reused before looking at incineration with energy capture. TRU is also committed to diverting 99% of construction waste from landfill and looking to recycle or reuse 70% of operational waste. An idea at the early stage of development and discussion is to possibly work with a third party to use some of their waste close to TRU on the railway, rather than it being shipped to a landfill site some distance away. In exchange, there may be some TRU waste material which might be of use to the third party. So, it could be a ‘win-win’ with both parties reducing their carbon footprint and a great example of cross industry collaboration.

TRU also has a carbon reduction fund. This is for projects to draw on if they have a carbon reduction initiative, which may cost more than a traditional higher carbon solution. A carbon reduction training course has also been put in place and over 100 engineers have been trained, and they are now creating their own carbon reduction initiatives.

Enhancing the natural environment

Naturally, with a programme such as TRU there will be some vegetation removal and clearance. Construction compounds will be required close to the areas where the work is taking place, but TRU is committed to preserving and enhance the natural landscape to increase biodiversity, and will preserve and enhancing the natural landscape to increase biodiversity and deliver a minimum 10% net gain as calculated using the DEFRA metric.

The aim will be to deliver biodiversity benefits as close as possible to where the impacts occur, while seeking to promote biodiversity on a landscape scale. Working with their stakeholders, TRU is identifying offset area boundaries and mitigation and offset opportunities. They will be targeting areas along the route that will enhance nature and provide social value benefits by allowing communities access to the improved spaces.

By working with community rail partners and station adopter teams, TRU will also enhance the look and feel of the stations for users, as well as improving and developing habitats for wildlife to thrive.

Community fund

TRU is also providing local community groups, schools, and charities the opportunity to apply for funding to improve and encourage the use of local spaces and services along the route in areas of high social need. A total of £175,000 is to be distributed along the route this year, with funding available in the form of small grants (£1,000 to £5,000) or medium grants (£5,000 to £20,000). Funding should also be available for the following years.

Community projects within five miles of the core TRU route and its key diversionary routes are eligible to receive the funding. The allocation of funding is being independently managed on behalf of TRU by Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation (GMCVO) which works to strengthen the Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector.

The community fund will help ensure that TRU can drive real, long-term benefits in the areas it is operating in over the next decade and this forms a key part of the programmes sustainability strategy. It champions four priorities of:

  • Creating job opportunities, upskilling, and work experience for local people.
  • Enhancing the environment by restoring nature, reducing carbon footprint, adopting circular economy principals, and supporting sustainability.
  • Satisfying customers by providing a safe, reliable, and accessible railway for local people.
  • Working with local communities and investing in wellbeing, education, and community spaces.

Lasting legacy

Major programmes such as TRU delivering massive improvements to rail have hugely profound impacts on people’s wellbeing. Commuting impacts peoples disposable income, their free time with family and friends, levels of stress, and much more. To measure this, TRU has undertaken a new economic assessment called a ‘WELLBY Assessment’ to understand and deliver the improvements to the lives of the local communities.

Anna explained that to leave a lasting legacy to wellbeing, in addition to the normal benefits of rail improvements, it is essential to factor in sustainability and social value into a programme’s business case at an early stage, as TRU have done. She is passionate that TRU does not just build for today and that it must enhance local communities and the lineside environment. It is important that the programme ensures what it constructs and leaves for future generations is safe, maintainable, and sustainable for many years to come.

Image credit: Network Rail

Paul Darlington CEng FIET FIRSE
Paul Darlington CEng FIET FIRSEhttp://therailengineer.com

SPECIALIST AREAS
Signalling and telecommunications, cyber security, level crossings


Paul Darlington joined British Rail as a trainee telecoms technician in September 1975. He became an instructor in telecommunications and moved to the telecoms project office in Birmingham, where he was involved in designing customer information systems and radio schemes. By the time of privatisation, he was a project engineer with BR Telecommunications Ltd, responsible for the implementation of telecommunication schemes included Merseyrail IECC resignalling.

With the inception of Railtrack, Paul moved to Manchester as the telecoms engineer for the North West. He was, for a time, the engineering manager responsible for coordinating all the multi-functional engineering disciplines in the North West Zone.

His next role was head of telecommunications for Network Rail in London, where the foundations for Network Rail Telecoms and the IP network now known as FTNx were put in place. He then moved back to Manchester as the signalling route asset manager for LNW North and led the control period 5 signalling renewals planning. He also continued as chair of the safety review panel for the national GSM-R programme.

After a 37-year career in the rail industry, Paul retired in October 2012 and, as well as writing for Rail Engineer, is the managing editor of IRSE News.

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