Essay series
16 Mar 2022
Essay 2 - Rail's contribution to green transport policy
By Richard Lutz, CEO Deutsche Bahn, and Professor Ottmar Edenhofer, PIK
The EU Fit for 55 package seeks to ensure the EU meets its climate goals. Transport emissions are key to making that happen. Already around 25% of EU emissions come from transport. This figure is rising while rail’s emissions have fallen by 32% over the last three decades. This CER Essay explains that rail must be recognised as the most energyefficient transport mode and an intelligent policy mix is needed to put a price on carbon and use the revenues from emissions trading to improve sustainable mobility.