EcoTransIT World: calculating freight transport emissions worldwide

Deutsche Bahn at the International Transport Forum in Leipzig / DB and UIC present further development of the “EcoTransIT World” environment computer / DB with stand in exhibition congress centre

Leipzig - “Low transport emissions are an increasingly significant sales argument. EcoTransIT World aims to help customers to choose their means of transport and the most environment-friendly transport chain. This also underlines our efforts to achieve DB’s ambitious climate protection objectives”, explained Dr. Volker Kefer, member of the DB Management Board responsible for infrastructure and technology at the International Transport Forum 2010 in Leipzig. Together with Jean Pierre Loubinoux, Director General of the International Union of Railways (UIC), Dr. Kefer presented the further development of EcoTransIT World, the emissions computer.

Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, General Director UIC: “With EcoTransIT World, we can provide reliable carbon foot-prints of logistic chains with all transport modes on a global level. EcoTransIT World offers an important contribution to the ongoing discussions to measuring Greenhouse Gas impacts of the transport sector. It provides a scientific proved, fair and balanced methodology which is approved by neutral environmental institutions.”

The latest version of EcoTransIT World calculates energy consumption rates together with carbon and pollution emissions for any freight transports, now for the first time on a worldwide scale and for all means of transport. This lets customers optimise their global logistics trains with sound calculation of the environmental effects of the transports. Now customers can decide for themselves which transport chain is the most profitable and ecological. Hitherto, internet computers were only capable of calculating transport routes within Europe. The emissions computer has been developed by a consortium consisting of the UIC, DB and six other European rail transport undertakings. EcoTransIT World is freely available on the internet at www.ecotransit.org.

The International Transport Forum brings together transport ministers from the 52 member states together with high-ranking representatives from business, industry and science. The Forum acts as the venue for discussing strategies for modern, sustainable transport policy in the 21st century. This year’s forum is entitled “Transport and Innovation. Unleashing the Potential”.

During the forum, DB Management Board member Dr. Kefer also discussed the issue of “Optimising intelligent infrastructures” with other international transport experts. The DB Group has its own company stand at the ITF in Leipzig’s Congress Centre (level CC+1).