Network Rail has partnered with APCOA and Compleo to install 450 electric vehicle (EV) charging points at UK railway stations.
In the first phase of installations, Network Rail has deployed 160 charging points in Reading, 111 in Manchester, 84 in Edinburgh, 56 in Leeds and 41 in Welwyn Garden City. Additional charging points will also be installed at Birmingham New Street station later this month.
Each charging point can fully charge an EV in 3–4 hours using renewable energy.
Jo Lewington, Network Rail’s Chief Environment & Sustainability Officer, said:As part of our wider Environmental Sustainability Strategy, we’re working towards delivering a low-emission railway and aiming to reach net-zero emissions by 2045 in Scotland and by 2050 in the rest of Britain.
Supporting the move to electric vehicles is a key part of that. We hope that by providing affordable, efficient and reliable charging points we can encourage more electric vehicles onto the road and help promote healthier air in and around our stations.
The new Compleo charging points are marked with a green parking bay reserved for EVs. Passengers can park in the bay prior to their rail journey and pay for their power and parking via the APCOA Connect app.
Charging points have also been installed in disabled parking bays to ensure the service is available to Blue Badge holders.
Kim Challis, APCOA’s Regional Managing Director for UK&I said:We’re really pleased to have developed this solution in conjunction with Compleo to enable charging authentication and easy payment for Network Rail’s EV customers. This solution also provides a significant step towards our sustainability strategy.
Network Rail plans to deploy charging points for 10 percent of its car parking spaces by 2024, totalling approximately 779 equipped spaces across its 32 carparks.
