Sustainable Development Plan 2019/20

Over three million people in Wales rely on our transport infrastructure every da y, with transportation accounting for 14 percent of all emissions in Wales in 2016 and buses, cars and lorries accounting for 11.9 % of this total. While motor vehicles are increasingly fuel efficient, their emissions have only declined by 3% since the 1990 baseline, highlighting the need to decarbonise transport in Wales. Added to this, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone and particulate-matter (PM10 or PM2.5) emissions from cars and other motor vehicles contribute to around 2,000 or 6 % of all deaths each year in Wales.

Reducing private vehicle use and encouraging greater use of public and active travel has the potential to improve air quality, reduce air pollution while offering significant health benefits.

Transport for Wales’ aim is to transform the transport network in Wales and the borders so that it becomes truly sustainable and fit for future generations, working for both people and the planet. The Wales and Borders rail service and South Wales Metro will provide all parts of Wales as well as the communities along the English border with a fast, efficient and environmentally positive transport network.

We’ll integrate our public transport and active travel networks, prioritising investment in infrastructure that encourages positive travel choices such as choosing public transport and active travel instead of private vehicles.

The improvements we’re making support key Welsh Government policies, such as the Well-being of Future Generations Act and Prosperity for All: the national strategy as well as the Welsh Government ’s ambitious decarbonisation targets, helping to reduce air pollution, inequalities and transport poverty while improving physical and mental health, for instance.

By achieving the goals we’ve set out in our Sustainable Development Plan we’ll be playing our part in delivering the Welsh Government ’s vision for sustainable transport.

Scott Waddington

Chair

Transport for Wales

“Transport is fundamental to Wales’ social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing and Transport for Wales is committed to delivering Welsh Government’s vision for transport in Wales. We’re building a sustainable transport network that will have wide-ranging benefits for everyone in Wales in future.

Our comprehensive Sustainable Development Plan sets out our goals and how we’ll achieve them. It also explains how we’ll collaborate with our partners and engage our stakeholders to ensure that our objectives are integrated and the decisions we make are sustainable.

Through our ethical and sustainable procurement approach we’re making sure that our investments are maximising opportunities for Wales’ many talented businesses in line with the goals of the Well-being of Future Generations Act.

Lee Jones

Chair

Transport for Wales Rail Services

“As the operators of Transport for Wales Rail Services, we are passionate about our long-term strategic partnership with Welsh Government and the people of Wales and the Borders. Our customers and the communities that we serve are at the heart of all that we do; together, we will deliver a transport network that is safe, sustainable and accessible.

“Enhancing connectivity, investing in low-carbon technology and encouraging active travel are all key principles of our business model. We’re very proud of the difference that we can make, the economic opportunities that we are creating and the long-term value that we are building for future generations.”

This Sustainable Development Plan will:

• Ensure sustainable development becomes part of our culture and is embedded in everything we do
• Set out our commitment and approach to sustainable development up to 2033
• Set clear goals, actions and responsibilities
• Reinforce our commitment to meeting the requirements of relevant legislation and policies
• Detail the key activities we’ll undertake across to build a sustainable transport network

Our senior leadership team has endorsed our plan and we’ll ensure that our people understand their role in achieving our sustainability goals.

We’ll review our plan regularly to ensure that it continues to be relevant given the nature, scale and environmental impacts of our operations.

We’ll publish an annual progress report relating to our key sustainable-development priorities and we’ll ask an independent body to review our progress by 2023.

Our Sustainable Development Plan will be supported by:

• Sustainable Procurement Strategy
• Skills and Leadership Strategy
• Biodiversity Action Plan
• Environmental Management Plan
• Active Travel and Cycling Plan
• Waste Management Plan
• Low Carbon Impact Strategy

We exist to drive forward the Welsh Government’s vision of a high-quality, safe, integrated, affordable and accessible transport network of which the people of Wales are proud. We operate the Wales and Borders rail service and we’re building the South Wales Metro.

For Wales and its people to thrive, we need to be connected to one another and to the services we need to create new opportunities.

Our work focuses on making these connections happen – by planning, commissioning and managing efficient transport networks and by drawing on the very best skills from across industry, government and society. Together, we’re creating a transport network fit for the future that also contributes to the long-term sustainability of Wales and those communities connected to us.

We’ve spoken extensively with passengers, the wider public, industry experts as well as a range of stakeholders to understand their views on transport. These views will enable us to deliver a transport network that meets people’s needs and revolutionises their views of public transport.

We’ll be introducing high-quality, higher-capacity trains, more frequent and punctual services as well as faster journey times. Added to this, our performance standards will be customer focussed.

We’re also developing the first phase of the South Wales Metro, an integrated public transport network which will make it easier for people travel across the Cardiff Capital Region.

Rail services will be a key part of Metro and customers can expect a modern, turn-up-and-go service that offers:

• Quicker journeys, with reduced journey times
• Better connections between different types of transport
• Greater capacity
• More frequent services
• More reliable services
• More accessible services
• Cheaper tickets and more affordable train travel
• Greener services

We’ve started to invest £738 million to upgrade infrastructure to develop the South Wales Metro.

A number of projects for the South Wales Metro have been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.

Our Sustainable Development Plan is influenced by a wide range of relevant legislation and policies which guide us in achieving our goals, including:

Environment (Wales) Act 2016

Natural Resources Policy

Taking Wales Forward

Prosperity for All: A low Carbon Wales

Innovation Wales

Prosperity for All: Economic Action Plan

Planning Policy Wales

Modern Slavery Act (2015)

Construction and Demolition Sector Plan

Our approach to sustainable development will be guided by Section 2 of the Act:

“Sustainable development means the process of improving the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales by taking action, in accordance with the sustainable development principle, aimed at achieving the well-being goals.”

When we make decisions, we’ll consider their impact on people living their lives in Wales in the future. Our ways of working will encourage us to work more collaboratively to tackle some of the long-term challenges we face.

Our five ways of working have shaped the development of this plan and will help us to demonstrate the clear link between the legislative drivers, our decision-making, the activities we undertake and our impact.

Long term

Through our procurement, we’ll take a whole-life costing approach that considers overall value not simply financial cost. Achieving community benefits will be core to our contracts and we’ll develop long-term relationships across our supply chain, sharing our commitments to reduce carbon emissions with our partners and suppliers.

• We’ll hold Future Vision Workshops to communicate our vision, the challenges we face and future opportunities
• We’ll communicate our vision and goals to our people through a half-day, induction for all our people

Prevention

By increasing the use of more sustainable public transport and active travel options, we’ll provide multiple benefits:

• We’ll reduce the pollution and emissions affecting communities and the climate by introducing cleaner trains, electrifying lines and encouraging a shift from car use to the use of public transport and active travel
• We’ll take opportunities to increase the number of green spaces and encourage people out in their local environment through delivery of our Biodiversity Action Plan
• We’ll reduce rural and social isolation through better integration of the public transport network, community programmes and improvements to stations and hubs

Involvement

We’ll continue to work with a variety of stakeholders and partners to deliver our vision of a high-quality, safe, integrated, affordable and accessible transport network, including:

• Our people, who are our main resource in delivering our services
• Our community partners by using mechanisms such as the Community Rail Partnerships, the Station Adoption Scheme, the Active Travel Board and the Station Social and Commercial Development Plan
• Community groups such as Participation Cymru to include those who are harder to reach, Community Volunteer Councils, Princes Trust and youth volunteering partnership GwirVol

Integration

Our objectives impact multiple goals, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the goals of other public bodies.

• Our Project Sustainable Development Plans will contain objectives that are mapped and crossreferenced with the well-being objectives of public bodies

Collaboration

We can’t achieve our ambitious plans alone, we need to collaborate with others to achieve our objectives, including:

• Our contractual partners, including Transport for Wales Rail Services, our rail Operator and Development Partner and our Infrastructure Delivery Partners (IDPs)
• Our Governmental and Public Sector partners, who’ll support us in key policy areas
• Our academic partners, who’ll help us deliver the appropriate training and apprenticeships

A Prosperous Wales

“An innovative, productive and low carbon society which recognises the limits of the global environment, uses resources efficiently and proportionately, and which develops a skilled and well-educated population in an economy which generates wealth and provides employment opportunities, allowing people to take advantage of the wealth generated through securing decent work.”

A Resilient Wales

“A nation which maintains and enhances a biodiverse natural environment with healthy functioning ecosystems that support social, economic and ecological resilience and the capacity to adapt to change.”

A Healthier Wales

“A society in which people’s physical and mental well-being is maximised and in which choices and behaviours that benefit future health are understood”

A More Equal Wales

“A society that enables people to fulfil their potential no matter what their background or circumstances “

A Wales of Cohesive Communities

“Attractive, safe, viable and well-connected”

A Wales of Vibrant Culture and Thriving Welsh Language

A nation that promotes and protects culture, heritage and the Welsh language, and which encourages people to participate in the arts, sports and recreation”

A Globally Responsible Wales

“A nation which, when doing anything to improve the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales, takes account of whether doing such a thing may make a positive contribution to global well-being”

A Prosperous Wales

We’ll stimulate economic activity and promote a prosperous, innovative and low carbon economy which will provide high quality employment for our team members and our supply chain.

We’ll conserve natural resources and improve the quality of the environment in which we operate by promoting sustainable consumption, reducing waste and driving continual improvement.

Procurement and supply chain

We’ve developed our Sustainable Procurement Strategy

We’ll provide work opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary third-sector enterprises (TSEs)

• We’ll align these opportunities with our Sustainable Procurement Supply Chain Policy
• We’ll work closely with Sell2Wales and Business Wales to help attract SMEs and TSEs
• We’ll hold at least two meet the buyer events in North and South Wales every year
• We’ll invest in community spaces, such as Enterprise Showcases at stations
• We’ll keep records of our use of, and interaction with, SMEs and TSEs and we’ll report these annually

We’ll source 20% by spend of materials from Wales-based businesses and the areas TfW serves by 2021

We’ll achieve this through:

• Hosting Meet the Buyer events
• Business Wales training for SMEs

We’ll promote sustainable and ethical public procurement practices in accordance with national policies and priorities

• We’ll include sustainability criteria in all new commercial arrangements with our key suppliers in accordance with our Procurement Policy
• We’ll comply with the Welsh Government’s Code of Practice for Ethical Employment in Supply Chains
• We’ll undertake a skills gap analysis within the supply chain to identify the current skills available and those needed to deliver our services

We’ll commit to paying our sub-contractors the Living Wage

• We’ll also select suppliers who agree to pay the Living Wage to their own team members

We’ll audit, or otherwise confirm, the supply chain’s compliance with both our standards and the Living Wage and work collaboratively to ensure this process

Circular Economy, Waste and Recycling

We’ll design out waste by planning, reviewing and monitoring ongoing waste practices

• We’ll implement a Waste Management Plan, describing how we’ll develop, monitor and report on our targets
• We’ll also require our sub-contractors to produce a Waste Management Plan

Apprenticeships

We’ll provide a Skills and Leadership Strategy

• We’ll develop a Skills and Leadership Strategy which we’ll review every two years

We’ll recruit apprentices and graduates through appropriate schemes

We’ll offer 150 ‘Get Into’ placements working with the Princes Trust (or equivalent) between 2019 and 2022

Economy

We’re moving to our new head office in Pontypridd and have opened our North Wales Business Unit

• We’ll ensure that no less than 155 employees are permanently based at our Pontypridd head office and our North Wales Business Unit
• The planned completion date for our Pontypridd head office is 30 September 2020, we’ll provide reasonable notice if this date is likely to be delayed

Employment

We’ll support the creation of jobs in Wales and recruit a diverse team that recognises talent irrespective of background, gender, disability, age and race

• We’re aiming to extend our reach by posting our applications on sites such as Recruit3 and on social media

We’ll offer training programmes to rail technicians, managers and customer service representatives and will develop a specific training programme for each role

• We’ll make the most of our resources and TfW’s trainers will deliver appropriate training and identify areas where training is required
• We’ll continue to offer bespoke courses, such as those sponsored by the Institute of Leadership and Management

We’ll strengthen resilience and adapt to the changing climate and extreme weather events, and manage environmental risk by planning, monitoring, reviewing and, where appropriate, changing actions.

We’ll reduce the degradation of natural habitats, natural resources and protect and enhance biodiversity.

Energy

We’ll source 100% of our electricity from zerocarbon sources

We’ll invest in renewable technologies including the installation of photovoltaic panels, LED lighting and rainwater harvesting equipment

• 50% of our renewable energy will be generated in Wales or the areas we serve
• We’ll invest £5,000,000 in renewable technologies by no later than 31 March 2026

We’ll support an increase in Electric Vehicle Charging

• We’ll install electric vehicle charging in 10% of available spaces at new car parks across our network by 2022
• We’ll keep our infrastructure up to date as technology develops to encourage

We’ll implement measures to minimise energy usage

• We’ll invest £2,736,000 to install new LED lighting at all stations, completing capital works by the end of October 2023

We’ll install Smart energy metering at our stations and depots from 2019 to monitor, analyse and help reduce energy usage

Water

We’ll reduce our consumption of fresh water by 50% by installing rainwater harvesting systems

• We’ll install automatic water metering at stations and depots by the end of 2020 and determine our baseline water consumption by the end of 2021
• We’ll use permeable paving in our car parks during station upgrades and the construction of our Taff’s Well depot

Biodiversity

We’ll develop our Biodiversity Action Plan by 2020

• We’ll commit £17,000 to a Biodiversity Initiative Fund by the end of 2019. This fund will encourage charities and academic institutions to implement initiatives such as bee-friendly plants, beehives, bat and bird boxes around our rail network and in the wider environment

Carbon

We’ve created a Low Carbon Impact Strategy

• We’ll set a range of carbon reduction targets by 1 April 2023

Environmental Risk

We’ll implement our Environmental Management Plan detailing the major environmental risks associated with our services and the risk-mitigation measures we’ll adopt

• We’ll manage and monitor the environmental performance of our services

We’ll assess and manage our environmental risk and implement mitigation measures

• We’ll achieve ISO 14001:2015 (or equivalent) and ISO50001:2011 implementation and certification by the end of 2020
• We’ll incorporate all relevant legislation and requirements in our legal register • We’ll carry out environmental awareness training for our employees
• We’re developing specific Key Performance Indicators and targets for waste, carbon, etc. and we’ll monitor, review and continually improve our performance
• We’ll manage our use and disposal of chemicals and all waste to minimise their impact on people and the environment

Our Environmental Manager will carry out compliance checks to ensure all regulatory approvals and licences are in place prior to commencing maintenance and construction works

• Our Environmental Manager and Environmental Coordinators will work closely with design teams to help eliminate environmental nuisance
• We’ll undertake sustainable maintenance and construction practices such as off-site pre-fabrication, and ensure that we consult with local communities while works are being carried out to minimise noise and other nuisance
• We’ll also implement an emergency notification process to help limit the impact on the local community during reactive maintenance works that could lead to disruption
• We’ll take all reasonable precautions to reduce or prevent pollution of air, soils and water.
• We’ll meet the costs to rectify any pollution we cause in accordance with the Polluter Pays Principle

We’ll achieve at least an ‘excellent’ CEEQUAL, BREEAM rating or a rating equivalent to ‘excellent’ in an equivalent recognised standard

• We’ll ensure that BREEAM is integral to our design process and that we monitor our progress against BREEAM tracker reports

We’ll promote a socially equal, inclusive, healthy and safe transport network for all our team members.

Active Travel

We’ll develop, implement and publish our Active Travel and Cycling Plan and we’ll revise it every 2 years

• We’ll audit of cycle infrastructure and identify the need for new facilities and routes, to promote an increase in cycle journeys to and from Stations by no later than 1 April 2019 and every 2 years thereafter
• We’ll invest £1,550,000 on activities to promote active travel between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2027

We’ll work in partnership with the Welsh Government to increase the adoption of active travel:

• We’ll promote rail travel to destinations for leisure cycling and walking as part of active travel and co-operate with local authorities’ active travel planning activities
• We’ll publish an integrated travel map which includes active travel routes showing infrastructure and facilities by 31 March 2020

We’ll increase active travel through better integration and improved facilities We’ll reduce our contribution to air pollution by:

• Implementing the Green Dragon Environmental Management System
• Upgrading our fleet of rolling stock to reduce harmful emissions during our first three years running the Wales and Borders rail service

We’ll provide a safe transport network through:

• Putting in place safe cycle access to our stations
• Safeguarding the security of our employees at our stations and on trains by reducing fear, crime and anti-social behaviour. We’ll put in place training to control and minimise crime and security incidents. We’ll also assess and review security and crime risks regularly

Our people

We’ll support and improve health and well-being of our people by managing occupational risks, increasing engagement with our people and boosting their morale by:

• Encouraging the health and well-being of our people through the ‘Five Ways to Well-being’ principles
• Implementing preventative measures and controls where our people are at higher risk, such as ensuing hand sanitisers and flu vaccines are available to our customer-facing teams
• Promoting the development of a behavioural culture where our people are mindful of their own and their colleagues’ health and well-being
• Introducing a cycle to work scheme and supporting our people to reclaim cycle mileage

We’ll outline our organisational commitment to tackling and reducing the stigma of mental health • We’ll use targeted communications and campaigns linked to health awareness calendars

• We’ll sign a partnership pledge with Mind Cymru’s Time to Change Wales
• We’ll continue to educate our people in mental health/suicide prevention
• All our people will undertake mental health awareness training every three years from 2021 and we’ll provide regular updates and refreshers
• We’ll provide training for Mental Health First Aiders, Mental Health Champions and Suicide Prevention teams
• We’ll improve our frontline team’s awareness of disability, mental health and customer support, and ensure that this training is repeated every two years.
• We’ll develop a Mental Health Peer Group to run campaigns and publicise their services and support to team members

We’ll provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of disadvantaged people. We’ll provide opportunities to work and train, identifying skills gaps and offering apprenticeships and training. We’ll respect fundamental rights and cultural diversity and promote mental and physical well-being.

Accessibility

We’ll comply with the requirements of the provision of accessible transport arrangements for persons with disabilities:

We’ll implement procedures to:

• record seat reservations for, and the provision of assistance to, persons with disabilities made through Passenger Assistance
• record whether such seating accommodation and/or assistance is provided
• make our records available on request

We’ll set up a free Passenger Assistance helpline

• We’ll comply with the requirements for the provision of accessible transport arrangements of persons with disabilities
• We’ll ensure that our accessibility measures include support for the needs of persons with additional learning needs
• We’ll ensure that our accessibility measures include support for the needs of persons with mental health impairments who need support to access the rail services
• Where a passenger can’t get off one of our trains because of a station’s design, we’ll provide alternative accessible transport arrangements

We’ll engage with Disability Wales to enable continual improvement and develop infrastructure that supports customers with all forms of disability, supporting a more equal Wales

We’ll target local people via the recruitment process by working with Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) and other local agencies to advertise vacancies and help local people achieve the minimum skills they require to apply for these vacancies

We’ll work with local authorities and community groups to help improve accessibility and achieve their objectives:

• We’ll create an Accessibility Panel to collaborate relevant stakeholders and customers, consulting them on planned enhancements and accessibility initiatives. We’ll also invite them to take part in trials, workshops and training
• We’ll make 99% of all journeys on the core valleys lines step-free by the beginning of the October 2023. While step-free access is not possible at Trehafod station, we’ll ensure level boarding on both platforms
• We’ll ask our Accessibility Panel to review and test mock-ups of our new trains before they’re manufactured and ensure they’re feedback is considered in the design process

We’ll measure the impact our service has on accessibility:

• We’ll work with Disability Wales and the Royal National Institute of Blind People to measure the impact of our services on accessibility

We’ll deliver services in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015:

• We’ll review and assess our supply chain and procedures each year in line with relevant legal updates and current industry best practice
• We’ll refresh our Anti-Slavery Policy each year
• We’ll ensure our suppliers commit to our anti-slavery policies and adhere to our procurement processes and procedures, including committing suppliers to our antislavery policies

Our people

We’ll promote a socially inclusive, healthy and safe place to work. We’ll respect our people’s fundamental rights and cultural diversity and promote their mental and physical well-being:

• We’ll support initiatives to increase the proportion of black, Asian, and minority ethnic people (BAME) and women we employ
• We’ll provide an online learning hub enabling our people to undertake core training, such as Welsh language training

We’ll employ a Careers and Apprenticeship Manager to deliver an extensive careers programme which will include apprenticeships, supported internships, industrial placements and graduate schemes

• We’ll work with local colleges and organisations, such as the Prince’s Trust, to ensure they’re teaching the skills we require. We’ll also offer work placements for students
• We’ll help young people to develop workplace skills through our programmes with schools and colleges in Wales and the borders
• We’ll sponsor a Prince’s Trust ‘Achieve Club’ every year allowing 30 11-19-year-olds to develop basic numeric and literacy skills, improve their self-confidence and gain a formal qualification

Recognising the value of volunteering in the community, we’ll support our people to undertake voluntary community work and relevant schemes that encourage, support and reward volunteering in the communities we serve

• We’ll encourage our people to undertake at least two days’ paid voluntary work each year

Emily-Rose Jenkins

Geotechnical Engineer

Transport for Wales

“The Sustainable Development Plan clearly highlights the importance of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and demonstrates how Transport for Wales are committed in delivering the seven well-being goals, integrating the five ways of working. The Sustainable Development Plan illustrates the commitments of TfW and how sustainability will be embedded at the core, to ensure that Wales has a transport system fit for generations now and generations of the future.”

We’ll use our stations to connect people to information, local events and other events in Wales and engage with local communities to ensure their interests are at the heart of our decision-making. We’ll offer a more integrated transport network with better connectivity between stations and communities

Connecting People

We’ll use our stations to ensure people are better informed about key projects such as the core valleys lines transformation as well as local events and other events within Wales

• Our hub stations will provide better access to key locations such as hospitals and we’ll install additional facilities such as shelters, toilets, and signage to improve wayfinding for bus users, walkers and cyclists

We’ll engage with relevant stakeholders to bring more disused space at our stations back into use for community activities such as libraries, afterschool homework clubs and food banks

• Working with our station teams we’ll identify promote the availability of usable space at our stations, working with our stakeholder management team and CRPs

We’ll engage with relevant stakeholders to encourage the uptake of unused (usable) spaces within stations for community activities e.g. to be used as libraries, after school homework clubs and food banks

• Working with our station teams we’ll identify promote the availability of usable space at our stations, working with our stakeholder management team and CRPs

In 2024, subject to achieving necessary approvals and agreements with asset owners, we plan to refurbish eight old carriages so that they can be used for a range of activities such as after-school homework clubs, food banks or community cafes. We’ll offer these facilities as a low-cost option to encourage small businesses and entrepreneurship in low income communities.

We’ll engage with local communities to ensure their interests are at the heart of our decisionmaking

• Our Community Ambassadors will engage with local communities and local charities such as the Prince’s Trust to encourage isolated individuals to use the rail network to get back into work
• We’ll ensure that we’re better able to meet the current and future needs of community-based groups and stakeholders by building more collaborative relationships with these groups
• We’ll use our influence to encourage the rail industry and the wider transport sector to be more inclusive
• We’ll deliver a more inclusive and accessible service, improving the way we serve existing and potential customers

We’ll increase station adoption from 141 stations to 201 by no later than 31 March 2023

• We’ll increase station adoption by engaging Participation Cymru’s network of contacts to work alongside other volunteer groups such as GwirVol

We’ll increase active travel through better integration and improved facilities

• Our Active Travel Fund will improve active travel facilities at our stations and around our network, working in collaboration with our stakeholders, to provide maps, introduce traffic management and develop an active travel reward scheme.
• We’ll use a minimum of £600,000 from our Active Travel Fund to secure third-party funding from local authorities and others, such as the Cardiff Capital City Region Deal, developer contributions (Section 106, etc.) and Local Transport Funds, to develop active travel initiatives
• We’ll create 4,000 cycle parking spaces at our stations between 2020 and 2027

Undertaking responsibilities under the Active Travel (Wales) Act will support an increase in walking and cycling

• We’ll participate in the Active Travel, Station Alliance and the Integration Alliance Boards
• We’ll publish our Active Travel and Cycling Plan as well as a Customer Progress Report every two years
• We’ve committed £1,420,000 to cycle transformation and £500,000 to developing walking routes
• We’ll increase the number of cycles we can carry on our trains by 40% by 2024, providing a minimum of two cycle spaces per carriage and better app-based booking facilities. Customers will be able to make reservations up to two hours before departure
• We’ll work with stakeholders to hold a minimum of 25 walking events each year to promote safe walking routes and address community concerns

We’ll create a new Core Valleys Lines stakeholder team by no later than 1 April 2021 to limit the impact of the disruption of the Transformation on communities.

Community Rail Partnership (CRP) Initiatives

We plan to introduce an additional seven CRPs, bringing the total number to 12 by the end of 2022

• We’ll launch an additional three CRPs in the 2019/20 financial year two per in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years
• We’ll establish four regional CRP meeting rooms at our stations which can accommodate up to 40 people

Our Stakeholder Team will work with the Stations Team to identify suitable spaces

• We’ll recruit four regional Stakeholder and Community Managers by the end of 2021 to help with CRPs’ day-to-day activities and support improvement opportunities

We’ll provide funding for the current five CRPs and aim to increasing such funding to support all nine CRPs

• We’ll use available funding in line with our CRP plan

We’ll promote Wales’ language and culture by engaging with the Arts Council of Wales, Visit Wales, Cadw and other third-parties, to promote Welsh arts, culture, heritage as well as the Welsh language. We’ll also promote arts, culture and heritage the other areas we serve.

Welsh Language

We’ll support the use of the Welsh language in our services

• We’ll offer our people Welsh language training by no later than September 2021 and we aim to ensure that at least 30% of our customer facing team will have had training in the Welsh language

We’ll embrace the official status which the Welsh language has in Wales

• Where our team members speak Welsh we’ll provide Welsh language communications at our station receptions and ticket offices. Where our team members don’t speak Welsh, we’ll ensure that customers can speak to a member of our team in Welsh by telephone or using other remote contact technology
• We’ll treat the Welsh language no less favourably than the English language, enabling people in Wales to live their lives using the Welsh language
• All our public communications in Wales will be provided in both Welsh and English, including train enquiries and social media responses

All written and spoken communications to the public and passengers within Wales will be provided in both English and Welsh, including where requested for:

• train enquiries (including providing a direct number by which services can be accessed
• social media contact responses

Welsh Culture

We’ll support the culture of Wales, recognising the importance of its diverse cultural history in shaping the nation

• We’ll invite the Arts Council of Wales, Cadw, Urdd, the Welsh Language Commissioner and other relevant third-parties to sit on our Sustainable Development Advisory Group
• We’ll encourage our people to improve their understanding of Welsh culture by joining their local library, visiting local museums, sports clubs and matches as well as local restaurants and cafes
• We’ll embrace and promote Wales’ rich and unique heritage of arts and culture, helping to preserve it for future generations
• We’ll become a gold sponsor (or equivalent) of the Eisteddfod from 2020
• We’ll create, maintain and support an arts and culture fund by 1 April 2023
• We’ll create a £250,000 Community Art Fund to fund art projects at stations by schools, colleges and universities from 2022 to 2026.
• We’ll invest £500,000 in green stations and artwork to improve the character of our stations and reflect their links with local landmarks
• Our onboard catering service will showcase Welsh produce

Sustainable tourism

We’ll develop and implement measures to monitor the impact of our sustainable development/tourism to ensure our activities create jobs and promote Welsh culture

• We’ll collaborate with other relevant organisations and stakeholders to ensure Wales continues to attract and deliver major sporting and cultural events, tourists, investment, businesses and students. We’ll also help to position Cardiff as an international capital city

We’ll limit our global environmental impact and limit our impact on communities overseas through responsible procurement. We’ll comply with international biodiversity regulations and lower our carbon footprint

Biodiversity

We’ll have due regard to conserving and enhancing biodiversity

• We’ll have regard to the United Nations Environmental Programme Convention on Biological Diversity of 1992
• We’ll ensure that our actions don’t adversely impact the integrity of any Natura 2000 site

Waste and Recycling

Minimising the impact of waste

• We’ll track the disposal routes of our waste to ensure it doesn’t cause or contribute to problems overseas

Fairtrade and International Labour Organisation Standards

We’ll support Wales’ status as a Fairtrade Nation

• We’ll procure Fairtrade tea and coffee for our offices
• We’ll encourage the provision of Fairtrade products at our stations

Human Rights

We’ll support our key suppliers in implementing their own human rights policies

Our sustainable development team

Image: picture of team in the office