We’re harnessing elements of nature like trees, hedgerows, rivers, and coastlines to help us manage and strengthen our railway. We use these nature-based solutions to get you where you need to be while also maintaining our natural world.
Harnessing nature
Using nature-based solutions help make our railway more resilient to extreme weather. And they enhance biodiversity while giving you great service for years to come. They’ll also help us meet our environmental targets, including a biodiversity net gain by 2035.
Dr Neil Strong, a biodiversity strategy manager at Network Rail, said: “Our estate is a very long, thin slice through the countryside of Britain. Engineered over the last 200 years, we are now beginning to recognise the benefits that working with nature can bring.
“Slowing the water flow from the hills above the railway by planting trees not only reduces flood risk but can provide habitats for many plants and animals. Using trees to make shaded areas around stations in built up areas helps to cool the area during the summer. This alongside well-designed planting in station forecourts provides areas for biodiversity in urban centres and looks great, adding to the passenger experience.”
Take a look at some of our work doing this …
Preventing flooding in Leeds
Since 2017, we’ve worked with a group including Leeds City Council and environmental charity Aire Rivers Trust to increase the resilience of the railway between Leeds and Headingley.
Together, we’re planting up to two million trees and new hedgerows by Kirkstall Bridge in Leeds as part of a flood alleviation scheme. Kirkstall Bridge had previously been particularly vulnerable to flooding, causing regular disruption to trains throughout the region.
Plus, we’re aerating the soil by making tiny holes in it. These tiny holes – along with the roots of the trees and shrubs – will help the land better absorb water. They’ll also reduce the risk of flooding.
The work is scheduled to finish in 2027, but the trees and shrubs will do their job for many years to come.
Improving air quality and drainage at Glenfinnan
Since 2023, Scotland’s Railway has worked with Forestry and Land Scotland to improve the natural environment near Glenfinnan Viaduct on the West Highland Line.
Between 2023 and 2025, we’re planting several species of trees including ash, oak, rowan and birch in the woodland at nearby Kinlochmoidart. This will help the land absorb more carbon and water – lowering the risk of flooding while boosting the biodiversity.
A greener drainage system
We worked with engineering company Civil Water Management in 2019 to install a more sustainable drainage system on the railway at Tuffley in Gloucestershire. The system was made from recycled plastic.
It’s more sustainable and means we’re extracting fewer virgin resources from the planet, lowering our carbon footprint. It also enabled us to improve the line speed because the risk of flooding was much lower. That’s meant better and faster journeys for you.
Preventing snow drifts with hedges
Between October and November 2022, we worked with local farmers whose land borders our railway in Trimley, Suffolk to plant mature hedgerows along 1km of our line. We did this after snowdrifts brought by Storm Darcy in February 2021 disrupted services.
The hedgerows give the line a natural barrier, helping stop snow from covering the tracks in this particularly vulnerable stretch of railway. They also provide a habitat for local birds and insects.
