Environmental impacts – Materials
A question of sustainability
Making sure that our consumption of materials is kept to a minimum – and that, where they are essential, they are used and stored carefully and safely – is fundamental to the way we work.
We also seek out sustainable options when choosing new materials as well as taking good care of our existing assets across the network.
Objectives and statistics |
Policy objective:Working towards the more sustainable use of resources. Measuring our progress:• We achieved a 24 per cent reduction in the amount of paper procured centrally at head office compared to the equivalent nine month period in 2005 |
This is the spirit behind the whole life asset management principles we apply to the whole of our business. This approach is all about getting the right balance between capital investment and maintenance costs to keep lifecycle costs low. It also means looking after assets once they are in place, monitoring their condition, anticipating faults before they happen and taking corrective action. This is essential both for the smooth running of the railway and to make sure materials are not wasted.
An innovative solution to the problem of wire degradation on the network’s older signalling systems, developed by Steve McKie, Signal Development Engineer, offers one example of avoiding waste. By introducing a strict inspection regime and detailed risk analysis, rewiring is no longer carried out automatically, but only as necessary, where signs of degradation are found or in high-risk areas. By keeping rewiring work to a minimum on a system that will be ripped out and replaced when new signalling systems go live, waste is reduced and more than £5million savings will be diverted to other maintenance and project works.
Changes to working practices such as this are subjected to a safety review and change control process to ensure that our activities remain safe.
The right design
When you start with a blank sheet of paper, there is an opportunity to incorporate sustainability into a building from the foundations to the roof. In the case of the new Stratford train crew accommodation project, to be built by Tube Lines in 2007-8, the starting point was a concrete car park but the finished product, designed by Tube Lines, will be one of the most environmentally friendly buildings on the Underground.
As part of the planning process, the environmental impacts of the full lifecycle, from development to demolition, were reviewed and mitigated where possible. The lozenge-shaped building will only be visible at ground level from London Underground property and is being built using sustainable, robust and standard materials. The conventional concrete and block wall materials used for the main structure will be masked by a copper façade on the railway side of the structure and Siberian larch cladding from sustainable sources on the façade facing the adjacent Channelsea river. Both surfaces will be maintenance-free. Waste sheep wool is being used as building insulation and this roof will be green too, replacing a previously impermeable surface with a natural soakaway. Thanks to the excellent absorption provided by this, a smaller storm tank than usual for this type and size of building is required, reducing material consumption. Internally, the building has been designed to optimise energy efficiency and to allow flexibility, should the building’s use and layout need to be changed in the future.
News in brief |
- We saved the equivalent of 150 trees, and achieved a 24 per cent reduction in the amount of paper procured centrally at head office compared to the equivalent nine month period in 2005 by setting printers to default double side printing, raising awareness and monitoring procurement.* - The Stations team has reduced the amount of paperwork supporting station modernisation by seeking agreement from London Underground to supply information to them electronically. - Maximo, Tube Lines’ asset inventory, is changing the way information is stored and shared for employees working in signals, fleet and track, as well as for building inspectors. As well as saving reams of paper the system is very useful for planning. In 2006, the numbers in use of handheld computers linked to Maximo rose to 200, with 1,000 licensed users across the business. One of the company’s business objectives for 2007 is to increase the take-up of Maximo further. - HR got on the Go Green trail by replacing the paper Performance and Development Review with an electronic version, saving over 16,500 pages from being generated. * Based on a tonne of recycled paper saving the equivalent of 17 trees. Source: Environment Agency |
Case Study |
One gauge for sixA new track gauge is just one example of innovation that revolutionised the way we work in 2006. “Each of the old gauges measured a different type of wear but all six of these checks can be done using the new single tool”Gordon Harding, P-Way Innovation team |
