Social value sits at the heart of Northern’s sustainability strategy. It means delivering benefits that go beyond train operations to strengthen communities, protect the environment, improve wellbeing and support inclusive economic growth. By focusing on what matters most to the North, we can ensure our decisions create long lasting positive change.
What we’ve done
Across all 11 sustainability themes, we’ve used a suite of social value measures to track the impact we deliver for people, places and the environment. These measures cover a variety of topics like carbon reduction, employment and skills, community investment, waste reduction, and diversity representation. Many of these measures are expressed through financial proxy values, helping us demonstrate the real economic benefit generated for the region.
Our approach supports the UK’s levelling up agenda by reducing regional inequalities, improving access to education, employment and healthcare, and strengthening connections between communities. From funding local projects and supporting volunteering to measuring economic value and improving accessibility, social value runs through every part of what we do.
What’s next
Each year, we will publish a full sustainability disclosure that reports our progress against all social value measures. As industry guidance evolves, we will continue refining our metrics, improving data quality and embedding social value deeper into our planning and decision making.
You can find out more about how we are delivering impact far beyond running trains on our here.
2025 social value report
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