Delivering safer walkways for freight operating staff

Dyer & Butler, with its client Network Rail, is delivering safer, sustainable walkways for freight operating staff.

The Freight and Passenger Safety Improvement Programme (FSIP), which is taking place across eleven sites in Kent, Sussex and Wessex, involves the installation of Dura Composites’ anti-slip Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) grating panels to allow freight operating staff to walk safely within the network infrastructure.

The panels are re-engineered from industry standard panels, creating a lighter, low carbon alternative. Each d₂Dura Grating consumes 47% less material than the previous standard panels, which has resulted in a material saving of 34,195kg across the project and 130t reduction in embodied CO₂e.

The team worked with Dura Composites early in the project planning process to have the panels made to the exact sizing requirements of the walkway, reducing the need for cut-offs and surplus materials on site. This has eliminated 7.7 tonnes of waste, which equates to a carbon saving of 29 tCO₂e – the equivalent to driving around the circumference of Earth four times.

Speaking on the project, Chris Darlow, Dyer & Butler’s Rail Director, said: “Close collaboration with our supplier on this project enabled us to achieve a considerable scope 3 emission saving, which demonstrates our ability to actively plan and achieve emission reductions. We will continue to work with our rail supply chain to enable the M Group Services Transport Division (Rail & Aviation) reach net-zero by 2040 and deliver safer, greener rail and aviation projects.”

Using the Rail Safety and Standards Board’s (RSSB) Rail Social Value Tool, this carbon saving has resulted in £41,168.00 of social value, representing the proxy value of the economic cost to the UK government to mitigate the impacts of the 159 tCO₂e that would have been emitted into the atmosphere.

At M Group Services, we are committed to finding ways to make our operations more sustainable, while protecting the welfare of our people. Our focus on sustainability is an essential element of our Group environment, social and governance (ESG) goals. As a Group, we are committed to reaching net-zero by 2050 and achieving a 50% reduction by 2030.