East West Railway Company has announced its carbon commitments as part of its plan to deliver a net zero operational railway by 2050.
EWR Co has signed up to the Construction Leadership Council’s Five Client Carbon Commitments*, which are simple, practical steps that organisations can take to show how they are reducing their carbon emissions and by when, to help the construction industry collaborate to achieve net zero.
EWR Co is focusing on reducing carbon during both the design and construction stages, as well as across the whole life of the railway that will connect Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge. This means finding smarter, lower-carbon ways to design the railway – for example, by reducing material use, choosing lower-carbon materials, and improving construction methods.
By signing up to the CLC’s Five Client Carbon Commitments, EWR Co is confirming it will work with major clients to increase the use of low-carbon concrete and steel, phase out fossil fuel use on construction sites, integrate carbon reduction into procurement decisions, and adopt PAS 2080 – a carbon management standard for infrastructure projects which ensures that carbon is treated as a core design and delivery requirement, not an afterthought.
Proposals include using discontinuous electrification on the railway to reduce operational emissions and designing all new stations and depots to be capable of net zero operational carbon from their first day of service. Embedding carbon reduction into early design decisions will make the biggest impact.
Tristan Lincoln-Gordon, Head of Environment at EWR Co, said: “The CLC’s Five Client Carbon Commitments give us a real opportunity to further accelerate low carbon delivery across East West Rail – whether that’s phasing out fossil fuels on our sites or eliminating the most carbon intensive materials from our design and construction.
“By adopting the CLC’s 5Cs, we are sending a strong signal to our partners and the wider industry that low carbon delivery is not optional – it is integral to how we build, invest, and innovate from this point forward.
“We want to encourage our supply chain and industry peers to innovate, collaborate and help us to deliver meaningful and lasting reductions in emissions over the lifetime of the railway.”
EWR Co’s targets are designed to be ambitious yet achievable and will be reviewed regularly to keep pace with industry innovation and rising standards.
More information about EWR Co’s environmental commitments will be available during the project’s next consultation this spring.
0113 2082620
5th Floor, 2 Bond Court, Leeds LS1 2JZ
