Rail and bus operator Stagecoach has launched an £11m carbon reduction investment programme across its UK and North America operations.

Stagecoach operates the South West Trains, East Midlands Trains and Island Line rail franchises in the UK and holds 49% of Virgin Trains, which operates the west coast main line. It also runs tram networks in Manchester and Sheffield and some 7,000 local buses.

A five-year sustainability plan (PDF) is designed to deliver reduction of 150,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, with annual emissions reduced by 40,000 tonnes a year by April 2014.

The company will also seek to source a significant proportion of its electricity requirement from renewables, including electricity generated from small-scale hydro, on-shore wind and biomass.

Chief executive Brian Souter said: “We have made significant progress in recent years in reducing our carbon footprint, but we believe more needs to be done. That is why we have developed a five-year investment programme with stretching targets for improvement.

Stagecoach was earlier this year awarded the Carbon Trust Standard for its work to date on reducing carbon emissions.

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