National Rail Awards

GTR and London-based Community Benefit Society Energy Garden were honoured with the Environmental Excellence Award at the National Rail Awards in late 2024, celebrating innovative projects that drive sustainability and community engagement. The award recognises a ground-breaking initiative to install community-owned solar panels on depot rooftops at Streatham Hill, Bedford Cauldwell Walk, Selhurst, and Three Bridges.

The initiative generates clean energy for onsite use at GTR depots, exports surplus energy to the grid, and funds urban greening and education projects for young people in inner-city London.

Judges applauded the initiative for its scalability and transformative impact, noting: “Public transport has long been regarded as one of the key solutions to the climate crisis. But this project takes it a step further. This not-for-profit uses the vast empty and often ugly space of depot roofs to generate clean energy at no upfront cost to the operator.”

Jason Brooker, GTR’s Head of Environment, stated: “Community-owned energy is a great example where everyone benefits. The partnership with Energy Garden challenges norms and delivers real change in tackling the climate and ecological crisis.”