The transport sector is now at the heart of the debate on global warming since it represents 25 percent of carbon emissions, and it is the only sector whose emissions have continued to increase since 1990.

Through the European Green Deal, approved in 2020, Member States have set themselves the binding objective of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. As an intermediate step toward this neutrality, the European Union has raised its climate ambition by 2030, by committing to reducing its carbon emissions by at least 55 percent, emphasizing the importance of developing rail freight, which is more respectful to the environment and necessary to respond to the increase in demand for transport expressed by society.

Faced with the climate emergency, and the energy crisis resulting from the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, rail freight is currently benefiting from significant tailwinds. This is justified, as rail transport emits nine times lower carbon emissions and six times lower