More and more logistics companies and shippers need information on the ecological effects of their transport. EcoTransIT is an easy-to-use tool with high scientific credibility. It calculates the emissions and energy consumption of a range of transport modes using objective, provable criteria, and provides an immediate comparison with other modes of transport.
The project is backed by a number of rail companies including DB, SBB, Trenitalia, SNCF and Green Cargo as well as the rail umbrella organisation, UIC. EcoTransIT is freely accessible to all via Internet. The countries covered are Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic and Hungary.
The independent ecological research institute IFEU from Heidelberg, and the software specialist Rail Management Consultants are behind EcoTransIT. They ensure that EcoTransIT always has current figures and makes its calculations according to the latest scientific knowledge. It takes into account parameters including:
specific weight of the freight transported
distance from start to destination, depending on mode of transport
topography
road categories as well as vehicle size and pollutant emission class for HGVs
train length and traction type (diesel/electric) and type of power supply for rail transport
How to calculate your environmental footprint for combined transport
The following example shows how we can calculate the environmental impact of a consignment between Leverkusen and Rho. We will compare pure road transport with combined transport using the Cologne <=> Busto shuttle train.
Standard calculation Step 1
Go to www.ecotransit.org Step 2
Enter the origin and destination locations. As for weight, we define 25 tonnes of “Average goods”. Step 3
Set “Lorry” and “Combined transport” as the modes of transport and then click on the “Define Route” button. Step 4
Add a “switch”. First set the switch point to be the “Koeln Eifeltor” railway station and then add the “Busto Arsizio” railway station as the second switch point. Set “Train” as the mode of transport between the transhipment locations. Step 5
Start the calculator. Step 6
Choose from the various display options. Alongside primary energy consumption and carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, hydrocarbons, sulfur dioxide, dust and particles are also shown. The distance table is also important in order to check the route selected by the calculator.
Expert input mode
In the expert mode, you can adjust a few standard parameters and thus make your calculation even more accurate. We have detailed a few parameters that apply to the
Hupac traffic. Step 7
Enter the “Expert” input mode. Step 8
Set your individual parameters in the “Lorry” line. Step 9
In the “Train” line, you can alter the following data:
long train
empty trip factor 0% (shuttle trains circulate from terminal to terminal and never run empty)
under “Load factor” leave in the standard figure 58%.
Under “Consider transfer” enter “Other”. Step 10
Start the calculator in expert mode.
