The global rail freight industry is investing in sustainability initiatives.
For one, France’s GEFCO has recently announced its first carbon neutral freight train operations. The 41-wagon train, which will carry consumer goods on the New Silk Road, will take three weeks to travel from Dunajska Streda, Slovakia, to Xi’an, China. Following customer demands, GEFCO will offset the 250 tons of CO2 generated from this service by investing in Gold Standard certified projects.
Moreover, Canadian rail freight operator CN has announced that it will invest in battery-electric locomotives. Indeed, according to the company, the locomotives, produced by American firm Wabtec Corporation, can reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to 30 percent. It is unclear, however, when deliveries will commence.
How would you make rail more efficient? Is carbon offsetting sufficient? Is hydrogen or nuclear preferable? What would push OEMs to produce, and operators to purchase, more electric trains? Let us know in the comments.
Image: Carsonr98 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CN_3198.jpg) , Colour by Thomas Jérémie Hayden-Lefebvre, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode
