Sustainable development and the railway in Great Britain.

The five greatest challenges and opportunities for the railway in Great Britain to become more sustainable (energy, noise, sustainable procurement,taking externalities into account and social exclusion) are discussed. Inaddressing these issues, the railway will need to meet the challenges posed by modal competition and the wider economic and social obligations thatare required within both European and national legislation. First the imperative of climate change is considered, alongside the requirement to reduce noxious pollution that affects local air quality. Both are intimately connected to the sources and quantities of energy consumed. For electric traction there are issues of generation from renewable sources, carbon and pollutant emissions from power stations and energy losses in transmission. For diesel traction the issues concern the nature of the fuel composition,engine efficiency, exhaust treatments and potential moves towards biodiesel, hybrids and hydrogen. For both power sources there is a need to consider the efficiency per seat kilometre taking into account increasing train mass, and the possible inclusion of transport in emissions trading schemes. Noise is the subject of the European Noise Directive (END) and will require increasing attention as noise mapping and the identification of locations exceeding European standards proceeds. Sustainable procurement requires a radical re-thinking of the objectives and agendas of commissioning bodies. First, the costs of products needs to take into account the full costs (including externalities) of their production, their use and their wholelife economic, social and environmental costs. This will be a challenge for manufacturers, but even more so for funding bodies as the inevitable short term funding constraints mitigate against the longer term advantages and efficiencies of sustainable purchasing. The inclusion of the wider economic, environmental and social effects into decision making frameworks continues to present a challenge. Whilst some argue that UK practice relies excessively on the cost-benefit approach, nevertheless inclusion of more accurate reflections of the external costs of pollution and carbon into investment decisions will cause a re-consideration of priorities. Finally, definitions of social sustainability generally reflect a concern about the rights of individuals and communities to enjoy the pursuit of healthy and socially rewarding lives, free from discrimination, danger, crime and anti-social behaviour. These definitions incorporate a commitment that people should be treated with dignity and respect. Social sustainability often reflects a concern about the distribution across society of non-material goodsand well-being. As Great Britain moves towards equality impact assessments and health impact assessments, the social impacts of public investment will come under greater scrutiny. For the covering abstract see ITRD E137145.