South Western Railway – Sustainable Infrastructure Guide
We developed a practical sustainable infrastructure guide for South Western Railway.
This was aimed at project managers and other construction and property professionals, directing them on how to implement sustainability across all stages of railway infrastructure projects large and small.
Client: South Western Railway
Project: Sustainable Infrastructure Guide
Year: 2025
Who was the client?
South Western Railway is a major UK train operating company providing passenger rail services, primarily from London Waterloo, across its network. It has committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with a sustainability programme focused on reducing emissions, cutting waste and supporting biodiversity.
What did we do?
Watts Sustainability developed SWR’s Sustainable Infrastructure Guide, providing comprehensive and accessible guidance on how to implement sustainability initiatives for SWR’s infrastructure projects, such as stations and platforms.
The document offers a set of guidelines with illustrations to help SWR’s project managers to understand and action sustainability – articulating the benefits over the full project lifecycle.
It aims to help property related stakeholders (such as project managers) to:
- Focus on what matters e.g. renewable energy generation, climate resilience, carbon emissions reduction and improved energy efficiency
- Incorporate essential practices into projects – from more sustainable materials to effective water management, and waste reduction.
- Ensure that SWR’s projects contribute to community and environmental benefits e.g. by promoting modal shift and incorporating biodiversity initiatives.
How did we deliver value?
This guide will play an important part in SWR achieving its sustainability objectives, by ensuring that project managers are aligned on what sustainability means for SWR’s infrastructure projects. For project managers without expertise in sustainability, it broke down what is required from a practical perspective without being overly prescriptive.
What our clients say?
