Long-distance train operator CrossCountry has unveiled its ambitious 2025 Sustainability Strategy, setting out a decisive 10-year roadmap to transform its operations into a more inclusive, resilient, and significantly lower-carbon service across Great Britain.
The strategy marks a critical move towards decarbonisation, with the company’s science-based targets receiving official approval from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). This landmark approval commits CrossCountry to a deep cut in its direct operational emissions, pledging to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 63% by 2035—a major step on its journey towards achieving net zero.
Three Pillars of Change
The comprehensive plan is structured around three core pillars—People, Places, and Planet—supported by 11 action-focused modules designed to maximise CrossCountry’s positive impact.
- People: Focuses on cultivating a diverse, inclusive workforce and making rail services more accessible to all passengers.
- Places: Aims to enhance communities through initiatives such as promoting cleaner air, restoring natural habitats, and ensuring services are climate-resilient.
- Planet: Concentrates on shrinking the company’s environmental footprint by reducing carbon emissions, waste, and water usage in its day-to-day operations.
Leadership Commits to ‘Lasting Value’
Jessica Lockwood, CrossCountry’s Environment & Sustainability Manager, highlighted the strategic focus:
“This strategy reflects the issues that matter most to our colleagues, customers and stakeholders.
“Aligning our operations with the latest climate science – while embedding social value and resilience into everything we do – means we’re building a railway that’s fit for the future.”
Thomas Raynor, Head of Strategy at CrossCountry, emphasised the long-term nature of the commitment:
“Our 2025 Sustainability Strategy is a commitment to long-term change. It’s about making rail the natural choice for greener long-distance travel across Great Britain, while creating lasting value for the communities we serve. This is a strategy built not just for today, but for the next decade and beyond.”
Decisive Decade Ahead
CrossCountry affirms that its purpose extends beyond simply running trains; it is focused on actively driving regeneration, inclusion, and innovation across the regions it serves. The 2025 Sustainability Strategy provides the foundational direction for what the company intends to be a decisive decade of meaningful change across the British rail network.
Read and download CrossCountry’s new Sustainability Strategy at www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/about-us/sustainability-strategy
