Our Sustainability Strategy

In our 2024 Sustainability Strategy, we outline how we are reshaping CrossCountry’s approach to sustainability. This Strategy describes how our structures and governance will ensure sustainability is woven into the fabric of CrossCountry across our operations.

Through our Strategy, we aspire to be a genuinely sustainable business that balances the priorities of today alongside the needs of the future.

How we operate at CrossCountry

CrossCountry is a long distance operator connecting people and communities across Great Britain.

Our network interacts with every Network Rail region, with calls at over 120 stations. 

Our current diesel-only fleet comprises of Class 220/221 Voyagers and Class 170 Turbostars, maintained by Alstom and West Midlands Trains (WMT) respectively.

CrossCountry’s network is divided into four regions: West and Wales, East Midlands and East Anglia, West Midlands and North West, and North East and Scotland. Each region is led by a Regional Director, and supported by a central head office.

Our Sustainability Framework

At CrossCountry, we recognise the importance of sustainability in creating a responsible safe, and inclusive business for the future. We understand the need for real action to reduce emissions, protect the natural environment and serve our customers and communities in a way which reflects the social needs of today.

Management Structure

We have strategically restructured the management of our organisation to facilitate sustainable practices. By embedding Sustainability within our Strategy function, we have adopted a holistic view of sustainability to align with our wider strategic planning. This new structure provides a clear reporting line to drive progress forward on sustainability goals.

Our Tools for Sustainability

We use the principles of ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) to inform sustainable investment. This framework brings all aspects of sustainability together, supports innovation, and nurtures new ideas through development. 

The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) have recently launched the Sustainable Rail Blueprint (SRB). This blueprint outlines eleven key topics, to create a structure for a holistic approach to sustainability.

Our Strategy uses the principles of ESG and The SRB to generate conversations and actions within our sustainability agenda. By doing so, we have aligned our goals to facilitate collaboration with Train Operators (TOCs), Rolling Stock Operators (ROSCOs) and the Infrastructure Managers.

Our new Sustainability Strategy centres around three new coalition working groups. These Coalitions create forums for collaboration between departments, space for innovative ideas to grow, and opportunities to champion sustainability in each corner of our business.

The Coalitions form the foundation for our sustainability journey. Our approach will grow and develop as CrossCountry’s sustainability capability matures, with this Strategy providing the necessary structure to enable sustainable thinking to thrive across our network.

Investment of Resources

Materiality Assessments

Our materiality assessment enables us to understand how various material ESG issues can impact our business. Through this, we prioritise investment for maximum outputs for our customers and for the planet.
We have analysed 28 metrics against the business and sustainability impact using the Sustainable Rail Blueprint for guidance. The results from this materiality assessment can be found below:

NB: Although some topics may have ranked poorly on this sustainability focused assessment, this does not mean they are ignored by CrossCountry. These topics are covered by alternative strategies and plans. 

We have used the above materiality assessment to target investment of resources and provide focal points for workstreams on ESG topics.

The following Strategy outlines how CrossCountry are investing resource into the areas ranked with the highest priority (1 through to 14 from the above graphic).

The Environmental Impact Coalition

The Environmental Impact Coalition is committed to reducing the environmental footprint of our business. This includes the emissions from our direct impacts (Scope 1), our leased infrastructure (Scope 2) and through our value chain (Scope 3).

The Vision

At CrossCountry, we are committed to reducing our environmental footprint to create a train service which proudly and sustainably connects people and places.

Our plans are aligned to the Arriva UK Trains wider Carbon Reduction Plan.

Our Fleet

We are reducing our existing fuel usage and exploring low carbon options for the future.

The nature of our long-distance operation means that full electrification is not possible on the current rail infrastructure. We are reducing the fuel use of our current fleet whilst exploring low carbon options for the future.

The Environmental Impact Coalition focus on delivering initiatives towards the above RSSB Sustainable Rail Blueprint Topics.

• • Governance: We have implemented new governance around air quality and emissions reduction, to progress initiatives. 
  • Alternative Fuels: We are engaged with industry research on the use of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) and associated emissions reductions.
  • Weight Reduction: We are using lighter materials in our fleet refurbishment and will reduce the weight of every Voyager seat by 10kg, saving 500 tonnes of CO2e annually
    across the fleet.
  • Reducing Idling: We are working with our drivers, station operators and infrastructure managers, to reduce engine idling in stations by March 2025.
  • Long-Term Strategy: We are investigating engine modifications, to further reduce fuel usage and reduce emissions throughout 2025.

Case Study: Staff Uniforms

• We are committed to providing our colleagues with a new, sustainable uniform, to ensure our staff feel equipped to deliver a professional service safely.
• Through this procurement process, we will ensure that new suppliers are measured against sustainability criteria, and the final product has full life cycle consideration.
• We have recognised that this project will mean outdated uniform will therefore become waste material, and have put plans in place to ensure this goes on to have a second life.
• We will use waste textile material from the old uniforms to create
  functional products that hold a piece of our history.

Our Emissions Data

We are improving the way we collect and store emissions data, to strengthen our decision making on core environmental topics.

Property Surveys

We will survey each of our leased properties by December 2025, and implement measures to improve data collection.

Data Storage

We will improve our maturity around data storage, to enable us to forecast our emissions towards net zero 2050.

Science Based Targets (SBTs)

We will set Science Based Targets by March 2025. 

Our On-Board Customer Experience

We are encouraging rail travel as a sustainable means of transport, by further developing our customer experience

• Our on-board service includes a plant-based offering, for customers looking to further reduce their footprint.
• We will remove paper reservations on board our Turbostar fleet, by December 2024.
• We will work with our front-line cleaners and supply chain, to review the cleaning products on board and look to reduce or remove harsh chemicals where possible.

Our Natural Environment Coalition assesses the way our operation interacts with the surrounding environment, from contributing to the biological diversity of the network, to maintaining vital infrastructure for the future railway in a changing climate.

Climate Adaptation

The Vision

At CrossCountry, we will support the resilience of rail infrastructure to ensure a sustainable rail operation which is adaptable and prepared for the changing climate. Through data collection and intelligence, we are investing resources into challenging locations on our network.

The Environmental Impact Coalition focuses on delivering initiatives towards the above RSSB Sustainable Rail Blueprint Topics.

Asset Improvements

We have produced reliability improvement plans with Network Rail for key strategic locations for CrossCountry including Coventry, Kingsbury, Southcote Junction and Syston. Network Rail have produced an Axle Counter replacement programme in Devon & Cornwall, along with tackling track issues at Ely with additional tamping works. Plans are drawn up to address Track Circuit detection issues in Anglia.

Incident Response

Network Rail are establishing a Delivery Unit Infrastructure Reliability Group in the East Midlands region. They are also creating an Incident Training Hub in the Central region with Network Rail – conducting training exercises for MOMs and MIOs, including scenario simulations to improve incident management responses.

Collaboration

Network Rail have increased vegetation management activity targeting autumn sites which affect CrossCountry such as Manton. 

By using Drones, ecology surveys are conducted to identify high leaf fall areas and priority areas for vegetation clearances.

Biodiversity

At CrossCountry, our operation can impact biodiversity differently in each region, either by interacting with local fl ora and fauna wildlife or contributing to pollution. We understand that biodiverse ecosystems are vital in mitigating the impacts of Climate Change. Therefore, we are rethinking our approach to biodiversity and implementing our new strategy by regionalising our investment.

Vision

At CrossCountry we will leave a positive lasting impact, to improve and protect local flora, fauna and ecosystems. We will educate our colleagues and communities on the importance of biodiversity in  reducing emissions and mitigating the effects of climate change.

• In our new Strategy, we will use our regionalised structure and management, to invest back into the local ecosystems we interact with.
• We will map out the impact of our operation in each region by October 2024.
• We will set out a plan for investing back into each region to offset our impact by December 2024.
• Over the course of the next year, we will collaborate with other operators and infrastructure managers to understand how we can better support regeneration and protection of biodiversity on the CrossCountry network.

Case Study: 

We have partnered with Green the UK, to support wildlife projects across our network.

• We have planted over 6000 trees across England and Scotland.
• We have also restored 5 hectares of wildflowers close to our network in Newport, Wales.
• We have pledged to restore 250 sq. meters of oyster populations in the Solent in 2024.
• We have also given opportunities for CrossCountry volunteers
  to get out in nature and get involved in the projects.

“ Conserving and restoring natural spaces, and the biodiversity they contain, is essential for limiting emissions and adapting to climate impacts.” - [United Nations]

The Social Sustainability Coalition is established to support strategic objectives aligned to our social sustainability agenda and continuing to embed our social value framework.

Our Vision

To empower communities to flourish sustainably, fostering social well-being, educating the next generations, and collaborating for lasting change. We support an inclusive society where all individuals have equal access to opportunities, resources, and a thriving quality of life.

Our Communities

At CrossCountry we will use our unique position to positively infl uence and support communities across England, Scotland and Wales, and strive to deliver social value throughout the three nations connected by our network. We will monitor and maximise the social value generated across social, economic and environmental impacts.

At CrossCountry, we develop initiatives to generate social value in our communities, examples of some current initiatives are listed below:

• Supporting local communities through our Customer and Communities Improvement Fund
• Supporting Community Rail Partnerships though our Customer and Communities Engagement Fund
• Providing our Accessibility Customer Services Regime
• Measuring Social Value, and setting targets for improvements
• Supporting Heritage Railways to promote tourism and connectivity

Social Value Framework

Generating and measuring social value is key to our social sustainability agenda. We embed social value into or day to day practice through our social value framework. We evaluate social sustainability within our decision-making processes to maximise output from investments. 

From March 2025, we will produce an annual social value report each year.

The Social Sustainability Coalition focuses on delivering initiatives towards the above RSSB Sustainable Rail Blueprint Topics.

Case Study:

Foxfield Heritage Railway in Stoke-on-Trent works to address economic and social deprivation. To support this community, CrossCountry funded Summer Fun Days, welcoming hundreds of children to the heritage railway.

Over 250 children received free lunches at the Fun Days, along with enjoying a train ride, petting animals, participating in craft activities and learning about rail safety.

Each one of the four dates intended to provide 64 children and their parents or carers with the experience, however they by far exceeded this target - each Fun Day attracted hundreds! Over 1,000 children attended the Fun Days in total.

Our People

At CrossCountry, we foster a healthy workplace culture, and champion inclusivity, diversity and equality.

Championing Diversity through Recruitment

We recognise that diversity is key to a sustainable operation, and we’re developing our recruitment strategy to support our aspiration of becoming a more inclusive employer. We’re introducing new tools and techniques such as:

• We’re running a pilot that ensures all job opportunities are posted on jobs boards dedicated to attracting diverse candidates
• We’re introducing blind sifting to reduce opportunities for bias from influencing candidates’ progression through their application process
• We’re introducing a further pilot where psychometric testing will replace some of the questions within interview panels, further reducing individuals’ bias on the recruitment journey

In addition to these we’ve set a number of internal KPIs that enable us to monitor progress towards us achieving our aspirations. This includes the number of women and applicants from underrepresented groups appointed to operational and senior roles.

Our Commitments to Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding our employees and our customers. We continue to work with the Samaritans to support this.

We have established commitments and agendas towards reducing Unwanted Sexual Behaviours and Violence Against Women and Children. We continue to roll out and develop these initiatives, to ensure the safety of our staff and customers.

• By the end of 2025 we will have 25 safeguarding champions across the organisation.
• We will roll out safeguarding training to all new employees through our training school in 2025.
• We will continue to support the wellbeing of our staff, by providing fresh fruit and free vending of
  hot drinks to create a healthy workplace culture.

We will roll out safeguarding training to all new employees through our training school in 2025.

We are working to improve our staff engagement across the organisation.

We have established a resilient and transparent governance system which fosters accountability, integrity and sustainable decision making at every level of our business. Through this, we use sustainable
thinking to guide our actions, policies and strategies.

The Vision

We will continue to develop our governance to balance environmental stewardship, social equality and economic resilience to maintain a sustainable railway operation for all our stakeholders in the future.

Transparency

We are committed to transparency. Maintaining an open channel of communication with stakeholders, sharing updates to our sustainability strategy and publishing environmental reporting KPIs are key practices we are employing to remain transparent.

Regulation

We will ensure that we are compliant with new and upcoming sustainability regulations and adopt best practices to go over and above these in 2025.

Leadership

We are prioritising ethical leadership by ensuring that business decisions are measured against our sustainability agenda.

Trust

We cultivate trust with our stakeholders, by demonstrating that our commitment to sustainability is authentic, measurable, and shows continual improvement.

Strategic Objectives

We are prioritising ethical leadership and ensuring that business decisions are measured against our sustainability agenda.

The Coalitions:

• Through our established coalitions, we empower our teams to deliver sustainability agendas through their individual roles. These coalitions are governed through our existing structures and have clear escalation channels.
• The coalitions allow clear risk management and planning, to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of sustainability. This approach facilitates continuous improvement, through dedicated monitoring across each topic.
• As some sustainability topics have implications across multiple coalitions, a Joint Sustainability Coalition will also be established to share successes and challenges.
• Our coalitions will mature as our overall competence develops; this will allow continual improvement across the full scope of ESG.

Managing Risk: Materiality Assessments

Our initial materiality assessment has informed investment for this Sustainability Strategy 2024. We will use our guiding principles to shape our actions and conduct further materiality assessments annually to update our approach.

A Dynamic Strategy

This strategy document outlines our new approach to sustainability. The new structures outlined will evolve as we progress on our journey, while maintaining and harbouring spaces for innovation. They allow us to actively monitor and proactively plan sustainable initiatives for the future. Therefore, our Sustainability Strategy will be dynamic and ever changing to reflect changes in the requirements of our customer and that of our planet.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

Diversity, equality and inclusion are key to our business strategy. By ensuring that diverse talent is well-represented at leadership level, we endeavour to foster an inclusive environment and promote diverse ideas. Enabling equality of opportunity, promoting recruitment diversity and offering access to meaningfully interact with senior leaders will ensure we deliver on this commitment.

Auditing

Our emissions data is audited annually, by an external company to establish integrity. Each CrossCountry location is audited once a year, to maintain environmental standards across our network. We have achieved ISO14001 and 50001 accreditations for our environmental management system and maintain this throughout our entire operation.

Thomas Raynor - Head of Strategy

“As Great Britain’s longest distance train company, CrossCountry has a unique role in the lives of many communities through the services we provide. Each day we connect tens of thousands of people to loved ones, friends, family and colleagues, and through our services we remove the need for many road and air journeys that otherwise would have been required.

Through previous strategies we have begun the process of reducing our environmental and ecological impact, and continued to develop the social benefit that is generated through the way that we do business. However, for CrossCountry to truly succeed, it remains essential that sustainability sits across all aspects of our strategy to ensure longevity, sincerity and genuineness.

This means continuing to embed best practice into our organisation and how we approach sustainability. I believe the structure we have created within CrossCountry will enable us to build on the progress already made, and grow in our maturity to ensure that sustainability is at the very core of our business strategy.

There are real obstacles ahead of us, often with no easy solutions. Our all-diesel fleet presents obvious environmental challenges, and our changing climate presents new resilience risks. There remains however a real desire within Government, the wider rail industry, and within CrossCountry to find solutions to this, and through this strategy we will continue our journey to becoming an ever more sustainable business.”

Julian Edwards and Scott Maynard - Interim Managing Director

“Our new Sustainability Strategy provides a solid foundation for our long-term, sustainable evolution in tandem with the UK Government’s Environment and Sustainability goals. 

This strategy is our commitment to supporting passenger rail’s leading role in reducing carbon emissions, enhancing social value, and delivering cleaner, more efficient services for generations to come.

Together with our partners, we will ensure CrossCountry continues to drive positive change across the UK rail network.”

We welcome your comments or suggestions regarding any aspect of this booklet or your journey with CrossCountry.

You can contact us by:

E-mail: [email protected]

Telephone: 03447369123

Textphone: 01212006420

Post:

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