Freight trains without CO2 emissions

The world’s greenest mode of transport is now even greener

DB Schenker’s freight trains take the equivalent of 85,000 truck trips off Europe’s roads every day and thus avoid nearly 20,000 tons of CO2 emissions daily. But that’s only the beginning – Eco Plus makes it possible to transport goods entirely carbon-free.

On all German routes, for all goods

Eco Plus is available on all routes within Germany – both for existing transport connections and for new ones, regardless of the type and quantity of cargo that is being carried.

Freight trains without CO2 emissions

DB Schenker calculates the electricity consumed by each transport according to the route and the type of goods. It then offers an individual quotation, where energy is saved by using 100 percent electricity from green sources. DB Energie GmbH procures the required amount of green electricity for the shipments and feeds it into its rail electricity grid. This replaces the same amount of non-green electricity used by the rail system. This green electricity comes from local sources, most notably hydroelectric power plants. The calculation, power generation, supply, and billing methods have all been tested by TÜV SÜD. Individual certificates are issued.

Benefiting the carbon balance in three ways

The greatest advantage of Eco Plus is that it stops harmful carbon dioxide emissions that have to be offset later. Also 10 percent of the revenue from Eco Plus supports the building of plants for generating and storing electricity from renewable sources. The third aspect is that increased use of green electricity sets an important example in the German market, because increasing demand creates the incentive to expand the production of green electricity.

Last modified: 09.05.2012