What if the train was the way the method of transpart of the future?
The railroad transportation only represents 0,5 % of the total Transport Industry carbon dioxide rejections, it is therefore the least polluting actor as its contribution to the global warming is so small . Despite operating one of the "greenest" mean of transport, SNCF is aiming at trying to reduce its carbon footprint even more.
As a consequence, Train is the mean of transport with the lower carbon footprint:
- Airplanes = 180 g de CO2 per traveller and per km
- Cars = 111 g per traveller and per km
- High Speed trains (TGV) = 5,7g per traveller and per km
A commitment since 1999
How did the environment become a major stake? It is really in 1999 when the SNCF took the measure of the ecological challenge which was in front of it. By that time, the company signed the Charter of public enterprises for the sustainable development. In 2002, the company creates a Department delegated to the Sustainable development, connected with the Department of the Strategy.
In 2003, SNCF has signed a framework agreement with the ADEME (Agency of the Environment and the Control of the Energy). Finally, in 2005, SNCF sets up a Committee of ethics.
Concrete measures
To answer the urgency, SNCF experiments since the beginning of 2007, bio fuels in 3 regions. B30 (30 % of bio fuel, 70 % of diesel oil) is tested in Poitou-Charente with the circulation of 8 TER. Champagne-Ardenne and Burgundy regions will follow in 2008/09.
SNCF also makes a commitment to reduce the use of the phytosanitary products on railways and around it. An alternative: the train intelligent weeder. Via a computerized system and cameras under the train, the weeding is applied in a surgical way, according to the type of vegetation.
Another good pupil: Eurostar who launches the program " green Journey ". Objective: return its travellers neutral rejections of CO2. This plan foresees for example the reduction of the use of the paper thanks to the adoption of the electronic ticket and the ticket bar code downloaded on the mobile phone.
Besides, our trains have good energy efficiency thanks to the low fuel consumption.
Samples of energy consumption :
- Cars = 39 km / traveller for 1kg of equivalent fossil-fuel source
- Airplanes = 20 km / traveller for 1kg of equivalent fossil-fuel source
- High Speed Trains (TGV)= 172.2 km / traveller for 1kg of equivalent fossil-fuel source
