Carbon Reduction IP Track Safety & Sustainable Development Team Under Sleeper Pads: Carbon Reduction IP Track Safety & Sustainable Development Team 5-Dec-18

Under Sleeper Pads – Sustainability Benefits All materials (such as rail, sleepers and ballast) emit carbon dioxide during their manufacture, this can be measured as ‘embodied carbon’ Under Sleeper Pads provide increased load spread through the sleepers onto the ballast which reduces the stresses within the ballast layer, extending the life span of the asset Trials suggest the life span of assets can be doubled which would significantly reduce the cost and volume of carbon dioxide produced over the assets life span 5-Dec-18

Calculation based on a 1km renewal Quantities have been calculated using 2km of rail, 1476 Sleepers and 1612 tonnes of Ballast. Based on recent trials, Under Sleeper Pads can increase the life cycle of a track renewal from 20 years to 40 years. Track Life cycle Total Embodied Carbon (Kg/CO2e) Total Cost of renewal Total Carbon (Kg/CO2e) per year Cost (per year for renewal based on life span) 20 (Without under sleep pads 1,620,631 £1,700,000 81,031 £85,000 40 (With under sleeper pads) 1,640,123 £1,723,616 41,003 £43,090 Under sleeper pads cost £16 per pad and 1416 are needed = £23,616 1620631 /14.3Kg = 113,330 Gallons 113,300 Gallons = 515071 Litres Average car holds 65 Litres of fuel 515071/65= 7924 A 1km renewal equates to the same amount of carbon as a vehicle using 515,071 litres of fuel which is enough to fill 8000 cars on average!! A renewal with under sleeper pads will (on average) produce less than half the carbon over the time period that the renewal lasts as opposed to a renewal without using under sleeper pads which leads to IP Track contributing to the sustainability objective of reducing carbon as per Network Rail’s Carbon Reduction Commitment 5-Dec-18

Looking to the future…. Under Sleeper Pads can be procured through the standard NROL system at an additional £16 per fitted and delivered G44 padded concrete sleeper The Professional Head of Track is looking to mandate their use following successful trials by the IP Track Engineering & Innovation team The IP Track Environment Team are looking to utilise a carbon counting tool to begin calculating the embodied carbon of all materials used in IP Track Other ways to reduce carbon in future include: Use less materials Substitute high carbon materials with low carbon materials Using materials with high level of recycled content 5-Dec-18