Decarbonization

Travel on zero-emission trains

Our electric trains have the "Carbon Neutral" certification granted by AENOR, guaranteeing that all passengers and freight do not emit any CO₂ on these trips. This certification is based on the PAS 2060 Standard, which is the most internationally recognised and is developed by the prestigious British Standards Institution, a member of ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation).

More than 90% of our services are provided with electric trains without direct emissions, as there are no combustion processes. In addition, as the electricity is of 100% renewable origin, there are no indirect emissions at source. Renfe is one of the main end consumers of renewable energy nationwide.

The train is the most efficient mode of transport

The transport sector is responsible for about 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in our country. However, only 0.3% comes from rail transport, thanks to our improved efficiency in terms of capacity, energy consumption and CO₂ emissions.

For this reason, every journey made on Renfe contributes to reducing the carbon footprint and helps us to face the Climate Emergency. Since 2005 we have reduced our carbon footprint by almost 90% and we are working on new projects to achieve climate neutrality in all our operations.

In 2024, Renfe's unit carbon footprint reached an all-time low of 3.79 grams of CO₂ per unit of transport (passenger·km or tonne·km travelled).

CO2 emissions per passenger and transport

Source: Handbook on External Costs of Transport - European Commission

Self-consumption projects

Renfe is developing new photovoltaic plants to supply energy to its trains and facilities. On the one hand, 14 of our main maintenance bases already have an installed capacity of 11 MW of solar roofs thanks to the Next Generation funds of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR). Actions that contribute to the decarbonisation of our maintenance work.

Thanks to the self-consumption of our maintenance bases, we cover 41% of our electricity needs in these centres, generating 16,000 MWh per year, with savings of €3.8M.

In addition, Renfe is developing a pilot project for traction self-consumption. A model, pioneering in Spain, through which Renfe will inject the energy generated directly into Adif's electricity grid for use in the railway system, while the surplus is sold to the electricity market.

This pilot plant, with a surface area of 35 hectares, will be located in Olmedo (Valladolid) near Adif's electrical power substation that feeds the Madrid-Valladolid high-speed line. With this plant, Renfe will be equipped with an electricity generation facility for self-consumption with a power of about 20 MW, facilitating both the price stability of the energy it consumes and its 100% renewable origin.

Decarbonisation and sustainable energy use plan As part of its Sustainability Master Plan, the Renfe Group aims to achieve carbon neutrality in its facilities and operations across its three scopes by 2040, ahead of the Paris Agreement goal by a decade. This is the central element of the new Decarbonisation Plan that provides for the elimination of fossil diesel traction fuel by 2030. An objective that will allow us to achieve carbon neutrality in all our services and that also includes ensuring 100% Guarantees of Origin for Renewable Energy in the electricity we purchase, as well as improving our energy efficiency by 60% before 2050 as compared to our figures in 1990.