Better consultation needed on how the capital’s trackside vegetation is managed, says Assembly

24 JANUARY 2012

Londoners need to be better informed when rail companies plan works to manage trackside vegetation, such as cutting trees to prevent leaves on the line, a new report from the London Assembly says today[1].

Land[2] alongside the 450 miles of train tracks in London can improve the appearance of the capital, provide privacy and is seen by residents as a barrier to the noise and dust of passing trains.  It is also an ecological asset[3] – London Underground’s trackside land alone amounts to 10 per cent of all green spaces in the capital and provides a home to wildlife such as kestrels, orange-tip butterflies, great spotted woodpeckers and bats[4].   

However it does need to be carefully managed through pruning or felling trees, reducing and clearing vegetation as well as carrying out earthworks, so trains can operate safely and efficiently.

A report by Darren Johnson AM on behalf of the Assembly’s Environment Committee says Network Rail and Transport for London, which are mainly responsible for trackside land in the capital, have good policies in place for managing trackside vegetation.

But residents and local boroughs can feel inadequately informed about the scale and details of the works, with some telling the Committee that work was excessive or drastic, especially when mature trees were removed.

The report therefore recommends the two companies should:

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

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

Darren Johnson said: “Trackside vegetation shields thousands of Londoners living alongside railway tracks from disturbance and is home to all kinds of animals, plants and birds.

“We all agree that railways must operate efficiently and safely, but at the same time, vegetation and the species living there need protection because of their environmental and aesthetic benefits.

“Network Rail and Transport for London should focus more on treating this land as an asset, not a liability.  Although they have good policies in place, they should better inform local residents about planned works and why they are needed.

”The two companies could also work more closely with other organisations in the capital to fully consider the environmental value of sites before works are carried out.”

Notes for Editors:

  1. Read the report, On the right lines? Vegetation management on London’s railway embankments
  2. Information from the Greenspace Information for Greater London database shows London Underground owns 4,000 hectares of land. A further 574.88 hectares are owned by Rail for London Ltd and London Rail. The remainder of track network in London is under the control of Network Rail.
  3. More than 1000 hectares of line-side land in London have been identified as Sites of Nature Conservation Importance including include stretches of land between New Cross Gate and Forest Hill in south London, Brackenbury Cutting in Hillingdon, Stanmore embankment in Harrow and East Sutton railway land in Sutton.
  4. See London Wildlife Trust paper on railway lineside management
  5. The report will be formally agreed at the Committee’s meeting on 2 February 2012.
  6. Darren Johnson, AM, is available for interview.  See contact details below.
  7. As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.

For media enquiries, please contact Lisa Moore/ Julie Wheldon on 020 7983 4228/ 4283.  For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer.  Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.