Social value

Find our more about the progress we’ve made towards creating a better world, from cutting our carbon emissions to levelling the playing field for our people and all who want to work with us.

What is Social Value?

Caring for the environment involves looking after our planet, social value is all about looking after our people. It’s the positive experiences that affect our overall wellbeing.

Measuring social value matters because it helps us on our journey towards being a responsible, sustainable business that benefits the communities we serve. It also enables us to understand the impact the railways have on the people and places around us, from environmental, social and economic perspectives.

As a leading rail operator in the UK, we have a duty to make a positive difference to the wellbeing of our customers and communities on the West Coast Main Line. We’ve come a long way in the last year, but there is always more we can achieve. We look forward to building on our progress to date to make even bigger contributions to society in the future.

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How are we doing?

From 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, we contributed a total operational, environmental and economic impact worth £452,207,750.27.

3,042

Staff members engaged
with training

117,000

Customers supported through Passenger Assist

70%

Of our suppliers classed as SMEs

5,000

School children taking part
in our award-winning Feel
Good Field Trip initiatives

The Rail Social Value Tool (RSVT)

The Rail Social Value Tool provides a practical way to forecast, monitor and measure social value. It also helps us to find new areas where we can improve our impact on communities and the environment.

We’ve used the RSVT to calculate our social impact. Our report also includes case studies and other on the ground evidence on top of these calculations. This provides a deeper understanding of how rail impacts communities and people’s lives. It also enables us to demonstrate our contribution to the wider society beyond just providing rail services. Using the RSVT highlights our dedication to measuring and reporting our social impact and our commitment to continuously improve our contribution to society.

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“This report highlights our achievements not only in community engagement, but also in our quest to create sustainable jobs, promote diversity and inclusion and invest in innovation and technology.”

Dr Theresa Robberts

Social Value and Accessibility Manager