Based on the example of transporting car accessories from Hamburg to Munich, freight trains consume a third of the energy and emit a quarter of the carbon dioxide produced by trucks. Deutsche Bahn is already one of the pioneers in environmental protection, but its 2002 environmental protection program set even higher goals for rail traffic: it wants to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions (based on 2002 levels) by at least 20 percent by 2020. By the end of 2007 it had already achieved an overall 12.8 percent drop in its level of CO2 emissions.

Modern engines – proactive environmental protection

Retrofitting the engines of older locomotives is another important step in protecting our environment. Only state of the art vehicles can claim to be advanced in environmental protection. This enabled Railion to reduce its 2002 levels of CO2 emissions by 12 percent by the end of 2007; Railion’s trains today emit an astonishing 44 percent less carbon dioxide per metric ton kilometer than in 1990.

In retrofitting our engines we are pursuing a two-pronged environmental protection strategy. On the one hand, it lets us meet our goal of a new vehicle fleet without having to send old locomotives to the scrap yard, and on the other lets us equip our modernized locomotives with low-emission engines.

That is why Railion is investing about half a billion euros in the coming years to equip various series with modern, low-emission engines. In this spirit we are currently converting the 364/365 and 290/294 shunting locomotive series as well as the 232 mainline locomotive series.

EcoTransIT service for companies

Rail freight transportation consumes less energy and emits fewer greenhouse gases than road freight transportation. Our online EcoTransIT tool is a fast and easy way for you to ascertain the most environmentally friendly way of transporting your goods to your destination.