Network Rail, which owns and operates most of the UK’s railway network, is installing new electric vehicle (EV) charging points at railway station car parks. The company is aiming to equip 10% of its car parking spaces, about 780 bays, by March 2024.
The charging points, powered by renewable energy, provide enough power to fully charge a vehicle in as little as 3-4 hours, although Network Rail gave no further technical detail.
Rail is already a leading form of green public transport and this marks another milestone in Network Rail’s commitment to a low-emission railway – making sure rail is environmentally-friendly, resilient to climate change and able to provide an excellent service for years to come.
“As part of our wider Environmental Sustainability Strategy, we’re working towards delivering a low-emission railway and aiming to reach net-zero emissions by 2045 in Scotland and by 2050 in the rest of Britain,” said Jo Lewington, Network Rail’s Chief Environment & Sustainability Officer.
“Supporting the move to electric vehicles is a key part of that. We hope that by providing affordable, efficient and reliable charging points we can encourage more electric vehicles onto the road and help promote healthier air in and around our stations.”
In this phase, Network Rail has powered more than 450 charging points across the country, with 160 points in Reading, 111 in Manchester, 84 in Edinburgh, 56 at Leeds and 41 in Welwyn Garden City. The new Compleo charging points are marked with green parking bays and passengers can pay for what they need via the Connect app from APCOA, which manages Network Rail’s 32 car parks and delivered the payment solution together with Compleo.
“We’re really pleased to have developed this solution in conjunction with Compleo to enable charging authentication and easy payment for Network Rail’s EV customers,” said Kim Challis, APCOA’s Regional Managing Director for UK&I. “This solution also provides a significant step towards our sustainability strategy.”
You can find EV charging points at train stations using the ‘Location Types’ filter on Zap-Map, selecting the ‘Railway Station’ subcategory.
