LNER has taken local politicians on a tour of its recycling facilities at Peterborough station.

The operator welcomed Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes, Nik Jonson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and Councillor Anna Smith, Deputy Mayor.

The visitors attended the recycling and 3D printing hub, and saw how LNER turns collected from its trains and stations into plastic products. It then uses these products in its railway services.

When rubbish has been collected, LNER takes it to the hub, where workers sort it by hand. Once separated, plastic waste is given to an on-site team from Automedi.

They turn the waste plastic into filament, which can then used in 3D printing. In 2023, Automedi was a finalist in LNER’s innovation programme, Future Labs.

The Automedi team uses 3D printing to create items which are used in railway work. Since November 2024, they have turned more than a tonne of waste plastic into usable products through this process, including a plug-drainer custom-designed for use in an Azuma train kitchen.

This process has saved almost seven tonnes of CO2 emissions.

All the visiting politicians expressed how impressed they were by what they saw.

LNER’s other environmental initiatives include a wall of plants at Edinburgh Waverley and the publication of a Green Guide.

“I’m blown away by the innovation LNER has shown in developing this recycling hub and by the passion and dedication of the people who work here. It’s an ambitious project and an example of the circular economy in action. The Combined Authority is fully supportive of these kinds of projects and are keen to see more.”

Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough