Our commitment to a sustainable future
As a company, we are committed to taking environment and energy concerns into account in all our decisions. As we work towards minimising the environmental impact of our business, we’re guided by our Environment & Energy Policy.
Our commitment hasn’t gone unnoticed – our efforts continue to earn us recognition for the improvements we are making.
- Continued recommendation for Certification to ISO14001, the international standard for environmental management
- Continued recommendation for Certification to ISO 50001, the international standard for energy management
If you have any suggestions for how we can further reduce our environmental impacts, email the Environment Team.
Please see the latest Environmental KPIs for the whole GTR network.
Small switch, big difference
You can make a big difference to the environment by doing something as small as taking the train instead of the car. A simple switch from one car journey to train makes a big difference to reducing carbon emission entering our air.
Did you know?
- An average train journey puts nearly 5 times less carbon emissions into the air than making this journey by car*
- By switching from car to train, you could save enough carbon to power your phone for up to eight years**
- Choosing the train instead of a car saves the same carbon as boiling a kettle up to 455 times**
* a person travelling in an average car produces 0.167kg CO2e per km (based on the average emissions of all cars on the road of various car types and engines including diesel, petrol and electric), while National Rail trains on average produce 0.035kg CO2e per passenger per km. This means the average car is 4.7 times (nearly 5 times) more polluting
**The average train journey is 37.3km, emitting 1.32kg CO2e per journey. Making this journey by the average car emits 4.14kg CO2e per passenger per km (based on all cars on the road of various car types and engines including diesel, petrol and electric). This saves 2.82kg CO2e which is equivalent to the emissions in the energy needed to power your phone for eight years or to boiling 455 cups of water in a kettle.
Go the greener way
Taking the train on your next trip is up to 12 times better for the environment than driving.
Working with the Rail Delivery Group, we have calculated that journeys between London and 10 stations across the network—easily accessible via Gatwick Express, Southern, and Thameslink—offer significant carbon savings compared to driving:
Carbon Emission Savings (our trains to London v Car)*:
- Bedford - up to 4.4 times fewer emissions
- Brighton - up to 7.4 times fewer emissions
- East Croydon - up to 7.5 times fewer emissions
- Gatwick Airport - up to 9.4 times fewer emissions
- Hove - up to 12 times fewer emissions
- Huntingdon - up to 4.2 times fewer emissions
- Peterborough - up to 3.5 times fewer emissions
- South Croydon - up to 5 times fewer emissions
- St Albans - up to 5.4 times fewer emissions
- Stevenage - up to 8.7 times fewer emissions
* This is the number of times difference between average rail and petrol/diesel car emissions, expressed in kgCO2e per person travelling
This data has been developed by Rail Delivery Group – in partnership with Thrust Carbon, 3Squared, Black Box Partnerships and the wider rail industry – as part of the rail industry’s Green Travel Pledge – a commitment to provide businesses with detailed, accurate and reliable data on the carbon emissions of rail journeys across Britain to help highlight rail’s environmental benefits.
You can find out more at www.raildeliverygroup.com/gtp.
How We Calculate Rail vs. Car Emissions
The Green Travel Pledge data accounts for key weekday rail travel variables, including:
- Engine type and fuel type (Note: all trains on these GTR routes are electric)
- Journey distance, number of carriages, travel class, and occupancy
- Official timetable schedules
Car comparison methodology: Based on the UK Government’s Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors for a single-occupancy business travel car.
Please see the Rail Delivery Group’s website and FAQs for more information.
Thameslink remains fully certified to ISO14001 as we manage our environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner that contributes to the environmental pillar of sustainability.
Thameslink is fully certified to ISO 50001 for our Energy Management System.
