Collective action is required to inspire and motivate more people to travel by rail if the UK’s net zero goals for 2050 are to be hit, according to a Trainline insights report launched as part of the I Came By Train campaign.
To achieve the net zero goals set by the UK Climate Change Committee for 2050, a 30% increase in rail travel is needed by 2035. This means more people need to be inspired and motivated to choose rail; a challenge that Trainline is labelling “Project 30%”.
The new insights report was launched at an event in London today (5 March) attended by a cross-section of different groups interested in inspiring behaviour change and encouraging a shift to sustainable transport. Speakers included Julian David, CEO of TechUK; Richard Shotton, author and behavioural scientist; Helen Taylor, ambassador for Ecotricity and Forest Green Rovers FC; and Leo Rayman, Founder of EdenLab.
The report reveals new research from Trainline that shows two-thirds of people say they want to make greener choices, and 58% have considered switching to train for sustainability reasons. However the impact of travel in reducing an individual’s carbon footprint remains under-appreciated, with the public mistakenly identifying other sustainability measures like recycling, switching to renewable energy, and turning off light switches as more impactful.
The new report calls for collective action to inspire behaviour change by showing the impact of switching even one journey. For example if all those who considered switching to the train swapped one 200-mile journey each year – the equivalent of travelling London-Birmingham – that alone would deliver one-third of the 30% goal.
Speaking at the launch event, Trainline CEO Jody Ford said: “Project 30% is a collective mission, and its success is in our collective interest. The answer to achieving this goal lies in collective action.
“Together we can help close the existing gap between the emissions cuts required and existing policy ambitions, by enabling and reinforcing positive behavioural change in the way people travel.
“When we talk about attracting 30% more people to rail, that isn’t just a challenge the rail industry needs to take on, it’s a challenge for broader society. How do we get 30% more day trippers to take the train? How do we get 30% more business travellers to take the train? How do we get 30% more sports fans, festival goers and shoppers to take the train?
“Addressing these questions is where I see the future of ‘I Came by Train’ as a campaigning coalition, that brings together tech, rail, policy makers, NGOs and community groups to act together to support people to accelerate their own individual positive changes.”
The full insights and trends report is available here.
Image: iStockphoto.com
