Abstract
Sustainability and innovation are nothing new across all industries within the UK. Organisations are looking for more efficient ways to work, and with the added pressure of climate change and sustainability goals, innovation becomes a key success enabler. The UK railway sector in particular is facing consistent challenges when it comes to innovation and sustainability. With the UK being the landlord to the oldest documented railway infrastructure network in history, makes new technology and innovations harder to implement due to the bespoke nature of the infrastructure, which has further implications on cost. Sustainability and innovation implementation is managed through a variety of different strategies that guide infrastructure owners and service providers to achieve the same goal. Aligning with the UN’s sustainable development goals ensures that Network Rail are dedicated to adding social, economic, and environmental value, as well as aiming for net-zero carbon, on the global stage. This paper studies how sustainability and innovation is considered within the UK railway sector, and critically appraise the current strategic plans in place to guide the industry in the UK. Digitalisation is a huge driver that is being implemented in conjunction with sustainability but requires innovation as an enabler. The suggestion is that sustainability and innovation should be considered as one, the question is why, and the result is the maximised outputs of value creation.