{"id":83605,"date":"2020-10-08T04:00:04","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T03:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=83605"},"modified":"2020-10-07T15:05:19","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T14:05:19","slug":"hs2-air-quality-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/hs2-air-quality-plans\/83605\/","title":{"rendered":"HS2 unveils ambitious air quality plans"},"content":{"rendered":"

HS2<\/a> has revealed ambitious air quality plans, including \u2018designing out\u2019 emissions, introducing renewable energy on construction sites and zero-pollution machinery<\/h2>\n

On Clean Air Day 2020 (8 October), HS2 has listed ten ways it is raising the bar on air quality during construction and operation.<\/p>\n

Once built, HS2 will facilitate the shift from road and air to rail, improving the quality of the air people breathe and supporting the transition to a net-zero carbon economy by 2050<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The high-speed railway will be powered by electricity from the national grid.<\/p>\n

In order to reduce its carbon footprint, HS2 is also introducing innovations to lower emissions through designing and building the railway.<\/p>\n

Numerous initiatives have been developed with partners and academics, with more in the pipeline in a bid to create greener construction sites<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These include new plant emissions reduction strategies that will not only cut pollution, but bring time and cost savings, better reliability, and give assurance to local authorities and the public that the strict emission requirements are being met, to ensure air quality is safe for both the public and workers.<\/p>\n

In addition, British-made products such as solar-powered cabins are being rolled out across sites to dramatically reduce the project\u2019s emissions, bringing environmental benefits to local communities along the route.<\/p>\n

\u2018Supporting the UK\u2019s green economic recovery\u2019<\/h3>\n

HS2\u2019s air quality manager Neil Wait, said: \u201cHS2 is supporting the UK\u2019s green economic recovery and ensuring the UK is on track to achieve its commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the country\u2019s largest infrastructure project, we\u2019re pleased to be supporting Clean Air Day \u2013 the UK\u2019s largest air pollution campaign, and are working with our partners and supply chain to improve the quality of air for everyone as we build HS2.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe aim to dramatically cut emissions and carbon on our construction sites, and constantly challenge our supply chain to introduce innovations by using the latest green technology<\/a>, and to create a greener way of designing and building the new railway.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnvironmental innovations are at the heart of everything we do \u2013 from using renewable energy on sites and reducing emissions and carbon, to including eco-friendly features in our designs, and creating hundreds of new wildlife habitats along the route.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ten ways HS2 is raising the bar on air quality standards<\/h3>\n