Thriving railway hedges deliver biodiversity boost and point to a greener future for Britain’s railway

Thriving railway hedges deliver biodiversity boost and point to a greener future for Britain’s railway - The Tree Council

A series of traditional “railway hedges” are thriving at a North London station – along one of Britain’s busiest main lines – following intervention by The Tree Council and Network Rail.

Planted in 2018, a series of trial hedgerows has now grown to well over head height at Hadley Wood station on the border between Greater London and Hertfordshire, showing how the railway can contribute to the country’s biodiversity.

The project was created in response to the recommendations of the Varley Review, set up to re-evaluate how Network Rail should manage its linesides and protect biodiversity. The Tree Council was called upon to act as Network Rail’s ‘critical friend’ to help improve vegetation management along the railways, and work with community groups to return the cleared areas at Hadley Wood to nature.

Network Rail’s Chair, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, said “It’s wonderful to see how the landscape at Hadley Wood has developed in the last five years. It’s a great reflection of the work and care shown by The Tree Council, the many community volunteers and our own colleagues at Network Rail. We’ve travelled a long way as a railway in understanding how we can use our land to improve biodiversity, and run a safe and reliable railway, and The Tree Council has helped us every step on that journey.”

The railway act of 1842 made rail companies legally bound to protect their lines from livestock, by either constructing miles of fencing or planting hedges. Fences provide the necessary barrier but hedges do so much more, increasing biodiversity, helping tackle flooding, creating snow barriers, acting as noise bafflers, and providing the kind of green trackside that pleases passengers and passers-by.