ORR publishes Sustainable Development Policy
20 April 2007
ORR/10/07
The Office of Rail Regulation today publishes a policy which sets out the way in which it intends to contribute further to the development of a sustainable railway.
In the policy, the result of ORR’s consultation on its statutory sustainable development and environmental duties, ORR has recognised the steps the industry is currently taking to improve its sustainability.
ORR considers that its primary focus should be to publicise the performance and benefits of the railway to a wider audience, while encouraging and facilitating the industry to improve its performance in line with the Government’s sustainable development strategy. The ways in which ORR will meet these objectives are set out in the conclusions document.
The key means of delivering this policy are through ORR ensuring that the industry monitors its sustainability, including environmental performance, assessing and commenting on the results, and reviewing key aspects of industry incentives and processes to ensure that sustainable development issues are adequately taken into account.
Bill Emery, ORR’s Chief Executive, said: “Rail has long been regarded as a sustainable mode of transport, and this view has been supported in recent reports by Stern and Eddington. These reports also underlined the importance of ensuring that the industry continues to contribute positively towards sustainable development.
“Our policy on sustainable development is an important contribution to ensure the industry’s approach to these issues is properly focused on delivering a sustainable railway – one which is affordable, efficient and safe for all its customers today, tomorrow and into the future.”
Notes to editors
1. ORR’s Sustainable Development Policy delivers a commitment in ORR’s Corporate Strategy and 2006-7 Business Plan to take a more proactive approach on sustainable development, and follows a consultation with industry stakeholders to review current industry arrangements for facilitating and incentivising improved sustainable development performance.
2. The consultation paper ORR’s sustainable development and environment duties is available from the ORR website at http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/304.pdf.
3. Consultation responses were received on 22 December 2006 and can be viewed at http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.8527.
4. ORR commissioned a report from Enviros Consulting Limited which benchmarked its current activities against other UK and international regulatory/transport organizations, and identified examples of best practice. These organisations were the Civil Aviation Authority, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, OFWAT, OFSTED, the International Union of Railways, the International Union of Public Transport and the Federal Railroad Administration. This report is available from the ORR website at http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/sd-enviros_benchapps-finrep-aug06.pdf.
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