Transport for Wales (TfW) is marking Clean Air Day 2020 by celebrating its achievements in reducing its carbon footprint as part of its Sustainable Development Plan.

Rail contributes one per cent of Wales’ transport carbon emissions, the majority of which comes from diesel-powered trains throughout the Wales and Borders network. However, during the 2019-20 financial year, TfW reduced its emissions by 6.27 per cent.

This was as a result of a reduction in train fuel as newer refurbished trains were added to its rolling stock and through the reduction in energy used for buildings as it introduced smart metering across all of its Wales and Borders stations and depots.  

Since the end of the 2019-20 financial year, TfW has continued to take further steps to decrease emissions with a number of schemes, including trialling solar powered lighting while building the new maintenance depot and control centre at Taff’s Well, and planting 37,000 trees at a site near Llanwern.

TfW’s future plans include further commitments to reduce its carbon emissions further by replacing its current fleet of trains with new, more efficient rolling stock, including electric trains and tram-trains on Metro lines and more efficient diesel trains on long-distance services. Stations and overhead wires will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, with at least 50 per cent sourced in Wales.

CEO at Transport for Wales, James Price, said: “Sustainability is at the core of everything we do at TfW and we are fully committed to improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales, in line with the Well-being of Future Generations Act. The progress we have made in reducing our carbon footprint provides an excellent platform for us to build upon in years to come as we continue to develop a truly sustainable public transport network in Wales that works for both people and the planet.”

Natalie Rees, Transport for Wales’ Sustainable Development Manager, added: “The steps we are taking to reduce our carbon footprint also help us to reduce emissions. Air pollution in Wales affects people’s health and it affects biodiversity. We’re looking at innovative ways to reduce pollution from our operation, including trialling solar lighting on construction sites and working with cross sector organisations through our membership of the Clean Air Programme Board and the Clean Air Advisory Panel.”