Why EcoPassenger?

More than a quarter of worldwide greenhouse gases emissions come from the transportation sector, and more important, it is the sector where we have seen the highest growth in these emissions the last decades and it is not stopping.

The International Railways Union (UIC) would like to do its part by:

• increasing the awareness among transportation users about the consequences of our everyday travel choices
• giving support to decision makers on how to facilitate sustainable choices
• challenging the existing methodologies by taking into account the whole energy chain and include the life cycle costs of energy

What is EcoPassenger?

• A user-friendly internet tool with a sound scientific methodology.
• A calculator to compare the energy consumption, CO2 and exhaust atmospheric emissions for planes, cars and trains for passenger transport
• …fed with the best and latest available data for all modes
• …developed in cooperation between UIC, the Sustainable Development Foundation, ifeu (the German Institute for Environment and Energy) and Hacon (software)

What is the basis of the methodology?

EcoPassenger does not only calculate the energy or the fuel it takes to run the train, car or the plane. The calculations include the emissions from the cumulative energy consumption, including the energy used to produce the electricity or the fuel, in a "well to wheel"-perspective.

The methodology for rail services is based on the Environmental Strategy Reporting System, including the dual reporting of national mix and railways mix for the companies purchasing guarantees of origin of renewable energies.

More information:

ESRS methodology
 Download ESRS methodology

Zero Carbon Railways Report
 Download Zero Carbon Railways Report

In addition, EcoPassenger contains detailed information about the national trains and national routing instead of global averages and allows you to change the settings and adapt them to your personal trip.