In fight against climate change and air pollution, the sustainable mobility plays a role of fundamental importance. THE transport indeed they represent a significant share of global greenhouse gas emissions, but there is one means of transport that stands out for its Minimal environmental impact : train. On the occasion of World Environment Day, the Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) Group highlights the importance of this form of transport in achieving concrete sustainability objectives.
FS: 4,8 million tons of CO2 saved
According to the Sustainability report of the company “overall, the benefit of sustainable mobility through the use of the FS Group's collective means of transport, it was estimated both for passenger transport by rail and road, and for freight transport by rail at approximately 4,8 million tons of CO2e saved”. This saving becomes even more evident when the CO2 emissions produced by different modes of transport are compared. For example, a traveler traveling the Rome-Milan route emits 25 kg of CO2 when traveling by train, 67,5 kg of CO2 by car and even 117,3 kg of CO2 by plane.
FS: sustainability at the heart of the 2022-2031 business plan
The FS Group is committed to promoting and supporting the so-called “modal shift”, or rather a change in the ways of moving, in the direction of an increase in the shares of sustainable ones. To do this, the Group led by Luigi Ferraris has placed sustainability as the central value of its latest Industrial Plan 2022-31, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, a full 10 years ahead of the target set by the EU.
In the last year on trains in Italy have traveled about 600 million travellers, highlighting a constantly growing trend. The FS Group intends to support and accelerate this growth, favoring the change in transport habits by promoting rail mobility.
Reduce your carbon footprint
Ferrovie dello Stato is also working to reduce its carbon footprint. The Group has launched an ambitious plan of energy self-production of 1,6 billion euro, which aims to meet 40% of energy needs through renewable sources. Furthermore, numerous projects have been launched which contribute to the objectives of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) in the infrastructure sector. For example, the project “Sustainable construction sites” concerns the high-speed line under construction between Naples and Bari, which was the first certified sustainable work with the Envision® Protocol in Europe, reaching the Platinum level. An important aspect of this project is the sustainable management of excavated materials, which involves the reuse of over 96% of the earth extracted, following the principles of the circular economy. Another example is represented by construction sites of the Passante in Florence, where all excavated materials are transported by train, thus reducing pollution and road traffic congestion. In Rome, however, the railway ring closure project, has become an opportunity to build a greener, more inclusive and integrated neighborhood together with the community through the promotion of co-planning workshops with local authorities and citizens.
These projects and actions are accompanied by other initiatives of the FS Group in the field of energy efficiency, such as the installation of LED lighting systems, the use of sustainable and circular materials, the efficiency of heating systems, the reuse of purified waste water and the adoption of ecological driving pipelines such as eco-driving and smart parking, which optimize the recharging times for parked vehicles.
