Data analytics company EMSOL has been working with Network Rail to monitor air quality in train stations and come up with a strategy to bring down pollution around them. The project could largely benefit patients recovering from Covid-19 as well as people with respiratory issues, who are highly exposed to poor air quality in busy areas.
The first known research to correlate Covid-19 with air pollution shows that a post-coronavirus world won’t be sustainable without improvements to air quality – especially because the disease could cause lung damage for up to six months after being contracted.
While it may not be a primary area of intervention, the rail industry will eventually have to play its part in this transition with initiatives such as replacing diesel locomotives and decreasing emissions within and near its stations.
British air quality action business EMSOL is currently working to help accelerate this process in the UK. Throughout a nine-month Innovate UK project in collaboration with Network Rail and the East West Rail Alliance, the company has monitored emissions at Birmingham New Street and Bletchley stations to then provide insights on possible areas of intervention.