Deutsche Bahn to increase renewable energy share in the traction current mix of its rail transport services to 45%

• “We have a special obligation,” says Management Board Member Ronald Pofalla
• DB customers travel 100 million green train-kilometers a year

BERLIN, 29-Apr-2016 — /EuropaWire/ — Deutsche Bahn has upped its climate protection targets for 2020. “We aim to cut specific CO₂ emissions across all transport services at our Group by 30% of 2006 levels – a 50% increase over what we have achieved so far. We are also increasing the share of renewable energy in the traction current mix of DB’s rail transport services to 45%. Our target for 2020 is nearly 30% higher than we originally planned in our DB2020 strategy,” said Ronald Pofalla, Member of the Management Board for Economic, Legal and Regulatory Affairs at Deutsche Bahn, today in Berlin.

“By improving CO₂ efficiency, we are also incorporating policy makers’ calls for an additional reduction from rail transport so that Germany’s national climate protection targets for 2020 can be reached. As Deutsche Bahn, we believe we have a special obligation and are redoubling our efforts at all of our business units and divisions to honor that obligation.”

DB’s trains alone take over 1.5 billion car trips and 8 million truck trips off German roads each year, which keeps some 12 million metric tons of CO₂ out of the atmosphere.

A large portion of the considerable CO₂ savings so far has come from DB Long Distance, which has improved its carbon footprint by around one million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year since CO₂-free travel was introduced in April 2013. BahnCard customers, holders of line-based passes, and business customers travel using 100% renewable power, which DB purchases in addition and supplies to the traction network. DB customers travel some 100 million green kilometers by train each year.

DB is also aiming to cut CO₂ emissions elsewhere by using modern rolling stock, energy-efficient driving and intelligent linkages between modes of transport. DB’s Flinkster fleet has over 700 electric vehicles, which makes DB one of the largest carsharing providers of electric cars.

Note for the media:

Photos will be available for download at www.deutschebahn.com/mediathek (“Blickpunkt” section) beginning at 2.30 pm.

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