The greening up of train tickets by a Hull manufacturer has been welcomed by the leader of the national organisation that brings together the UK’s rail companies.
Paragon ID, the global leader in identification solutions and supplier of magnetic rail tickets, has worked with the city’s university to switch production from a solvent base to one using water, as reported. A two year project, backed by £230,000 of investment, came to a close in December, and the new tickets are now in use.
The Rail Delivery Group had partnered with the French-owned company, which has reduced the environmental impact of what had been an emission-heavy process by 87 per cent.
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A total of 11,000 tickets produced by the Stockholm Road team were tested for durability and compatibility, with the strip on the reverse of the familiar orange rail card holding the passenger journey data to be read by station entry and exit barriers.
A staggering 500 million a year are required to keep Britain moving.
Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “We are excited about the launch of these water-based environmentally friendly tickets. The new tickets are the outcome of a successful two-year partnership between RDG and Paragon ID. We are getting closer to a low carbon future and making rail not only the convenient choice, but also the most sustainable choice for all.”
Testing facilities were used at RDG and in conjunction with various ticket machine manufacturers and operators such as Fast Rail Tickets, Flowbird, LNER and Hull Trains.
It has eliminated 69 tonnes of solvent emissions annually, and has been recognised as a best available technique by Hull City Council.
As reported, with the UK rail industry as the pioneer of the new process, the project kickstarts a new standard in train ticket production worldwide, with Paragon ID looking to expand into transport systems in major cities globally.
Ryan Mellors, the Hull plant’s general manager, said: “We are proud of our long-standing relationship with RDG, producing millions of magnetic rail tickets and associated travel products each year. This project is an excellent example of our successful collaboration, this time with the shared goal of protecting the environment and increasing sustainability while continuing to provide a quality product for rail customers across the UK.”
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