Transport UK champions sustainable travel in alignment with the UN’s SDGs this World Engineering Day
Transport UK has been selected as an official partner for UNESCO World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development (WED) 2025. The day recognises the role of science and engineering in the sustainable development.
Marking the 80th anniversary of WED, Transport UK will be featured in a year-long campaign that is premiering today at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, France.
To mark the partnership, a film has been produced that illustrates Transport UK’s innovative sustainable transport solutions along its network that reduce emissions and improve community safety. It also recognises the engineers, drivers, and experts who manage the train and bus networks. To date, Transport UK has invested £10 million in green technology across Merseyrail, Greater Anglia, East Midlands Railways, West Midlands Trains and Transport UK London Bus.
The Transport UK film explains how the company is helping to address the UN’s Sustainability Development Goal (SDG) 11 - “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.” Transport UK is featured alongside 50 other organisations.
The feature starts in Liverpool, a city at the heart of the rail revolution. In 1904, it unveiled one of the world’s first electric railways and is now home to the UK’s first battery powered electric trains: Mersey Travel’s new 777 fleet.
Transport UK is committed to making the railway more accessible. Merseyrail driver Lisa Mooney notes in the film that the new fleet has also taken “design aspects from what the passengers wanted [and] what worked for our network” to become “a pioneer” in boarding accessibility. The 777 fleet is fitted with new sliding step technology which has made Merseyrail one of the most accessible networks in the UK.
The film also showcases Transport UK’s Greater Anglia service, which has partnered with Eversholt Rail and Arup to explore how hydrogen powered trains could be introduced to the UK rail network. Complementing Transport UK’s existing sustainable rail solutions this innovative technology would tap into renewable energy sources across the region.
Alan Pilbeam, Chief Commercial Officer at Transport UK, said:
“Transport UK is punching well above its weight when it comes to improving passenger access to sustainable transport across the UK. Driving innovation with Greater Anglia (GA), we have introduced an entirely new fleet of bi-modal trains that are energy efficient. We’re also installing bi-modal trains in the near future onto East Midlands Railway (EMR).”
The film also highlights the recent success of Transport UK London Bus, which represents 11 percent of the capital’s bus routes. Not only does Transport UK run one of the largest electric and hybrid fleets in the region, but the franchise is on schedule to be fully electrified well before the Mayor of London’s net-zero carbon deadline of 2030.
All of Transport UK’s bus depots are now fully equipped with charging stations to power its fleet of electric buses. Transport UK is also in discussion with local authorities regarding how its charging facilities across London can be used to power blue light services across the city.
Sustainability remains a key pillar of Transport UK’s social values charter. The group is committed to reducing emissions whilst improving air quality, connectivity, and accessibility for the communities it serves as it explores innovations in sustainable travel. It continues to expand its electrified fleets and sustainability initiatives across its train operating companies and London Bus.
The film, created for the 80th anniversary of World Engineering Day, has been produced by St James House, in partnership with Transport UK.