The financial sector has lead the way with several companies adopting very strict green travel plans.  However, its not the fact that its green, its more that its a cost-saving excercise, which you would expect from the financial sector.

Graham Cooper, of Bibby Financial Services said: “Corporate and social responsibility has moved up nearly every business’s agenda over the past few years and it is clear from our research that owners and managers are taking action by reducing the amount of time spent on the road.”

The North East however, falls behind businesses in the Midlands and North West when it comes to adopting new, green, and cheaper business travel practices.

For about 6 years or so I have used the service and was very happy when the Pendolinos came in to service, which made my journey quicker, but what about the improvements from a green perspective?

Here is a list of features that Virgin say are given by the Pendolino trains:

• The trains return power back to the electricity grid each time they brake
• Emit 76% less emissions than the equivalent in car journeys
• Trials with Bio Diesel blend engines

OK, so its not the most informative list, but with the braking returning the electricity back to the national grid, thats the equivalent of saving 2.6b cups of tea a year in brew time – good enough reason alone!