Railway embankments

Land alongside 450 miles of train tracks in London offers a number of benefits including improving the appearance of the capital, providing privacy and it is seen by residents as a barrier to the noise and dust of passing trains.

It is also an ecological asset – London Underground’s trackside land alone amounts to 10 per cent of all green spaces in the capital – and provides a home to wildlife.

However this investigation, led by Darren Johnson AM, found some residents and local boroughs felt work to manage trackside land was excessive or drastic, especially when mature trees were removed.

The report says that trackside land needs to be carefully managed through felling trees, clearing vegetation and carrying out earthworks, so trains can operate safely and efficiently.

At the same time, vegetation and the species living there also need protection because of their environmental and aesthetic benefits.

Watch a short video about the report:

Our recommendations:

We found there are good policies in place by Network Rail and TfL for managing trackside vegetation, but they need to:

• communicate more specific detail about maintenance work to local residents
• work more closely with the London Biodiversity Partnership

We also suggest Network Rail should follow TfL’s lead and use a London database of environmental information when planning future works.

The Committee has received a number of responses to our report - see below.