Members of the Greater Anglia and Campaign for Better Transport teams showed support at Southend Victoria. Credit: Greater Anglia Greater Anglia is proud to partner with the charity Campaign for Better Transport as part of Better Transport Week and support the brilliant ‘Love Your Station’ initiative devised by the charity. The week is a national celebration of sustainable transport and aims to promote the wide range of benefits of public transport, shared mobility, walking and cycling to the public and encourage more people to travel sustainably. Rail is already recognised as being the most environmentally friendly form of transport apart from walking or cycling, and Greater Anglia is leading the way in creating an attractive, clean and green network. All Greater Anglia services are now operated by new, high quality, higher capacity, more comfortable, more reliable, more accessible and more energy-efficient trains, including bi-mode trains for regional routes where services need to switch between diesel and electric power en-route. These new trains have already helped the company deliver record-breaking performance and secure extensive positive feedback from customers and stakeholders. The train operator has also been working to minimise its carbon emissions and become an even more sustainable organisation. As well as introducing more energy-efficient trains, since 2019, Greater Anglia has cut waste, increased recycling and worked with partners and communities on projects to improve sustainability, such as the Station Adoption scheme. The train company, which serves six counties, has more than 300 volunteer station adopters on its network to help keep stations looking their best, tending to flowerbeds, station gardens and keeping things vibrant and welcoming for passengers and local wildlife alike. The scheme recently celebrated its twentieth anniversary since its inception. Silviya Barrett, Director of Policy and Research at Campaign for Better Transport, and Southend resident, said: “As we mark the charity’s 50th anniversary, we are launching the first-ever Better Transport Week to shine a light on all the wonderful local transport options we have. I am delighted to celebrate this important week with Greater Anglia and their teams, including the brilliant Southend Victoria station staff. “As one of the greenest ways to travel, rail plays a vital role in reducing carbon emissions and traffic on our roads, contributing to our economy and connecting communities. Let’s all show our local stations some love!” Greater Anglia is one of more than 80 organisations supporting Better Transport Week, including the Department for Transport, local authorities, the transport industry, NGOs, businesses, and passenger groups. Jonathan Denby, Greater Anglia’s Head of Corporate Affairs, said: “At Greater Anglia, we are pleased to be supporting Better Transport Week because rail travel is a great way to get around. “With brand new trains on all our services right across our network, we are playing our part in making sustainable transport more attractive. “By promoting train travel and supporting further investment in wider improvements to the rail network, we can ensure rail contributes fully to greener transport choices, in support of our national climate change goals.” Greater Anglia is also delighted to support the fantastic ‘Love Your Station’ initiative, a programme that encourages customers to share the love of their local stations as part of Better Transport Week – with the chance of winning a £100 voucher. The train operator has also recently launched its latest Hare Fares promotional fares offer, providing great value travel options across its network for tickets bought before 27 June, for travel before 7 August. Details on what to do and how to enter can be found on the Campaign for Better Transport charity website.
