Sustainability and the Environment Travelling through the world you live in
Transport accounts for about 27% of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, of which CO2 accounts for 96%. European passengers are increasingly concerned about this impact. Intuitively many people expect rail to be the best environmental choice, and high speed rail seeks to live up to that expectation and be open about its progress.
Click here to compare the ‘footprint’ of different travel choices.
Where does the energy come from?
While airplanes and cars use fossil fuels, Railteam members' trains are powered by electricity, so no carbon is emitted when they are running. The carbon footprint for high speed rail therefore depends on how the electrical power is originally generated. As more renewable sources are used in the countries where Railteam operates, emission levels decrease. Switzerland is a fascinating example. As hydroelectric power is used as the main source of energy on railways in Switzerland, travel by rail results in virtually no carbon emissions.
Cutting CO2 emissions
The leaders of the EU27 have agreed to produce 20% of their energy from renewable sources by 2020. Railteam members have also agreed to voluntary targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30% (against a 1990 baseline) by 2020. In fact, modern trains on some Railteam routes actually create energy, by converting the energy from braking into electricity and returning it to the rail network through the overhead lines, for use by other trains. It is getting closer to a time when we will see near zero carbon travel on high speed rail.
Sustainability and Passengers | Sustainability and the Economy | Sustainability and the Future
