Eurostar wants CO2-neutral travel

17 April 2007

BRUSSELS – Eurostar, the high speed train operator that offers service between Belgium, France and Great Britain, wants its train service to be entirely CO2 neutral.

It will achieve this (partly) by investments in projects to compensate for environmental impact. It also wants to reduce the amount of CO2 emitted per passenger by a quarter by 2012. These are the main points of the ambitious “Green Journey” project that Eurostar launched today. Eurostar hopes these measures will distinguish it clearly as an environmentally friendly alternative to the budget airlines.

By decreasing the amount of power used by trains and using electricity more efficiently, by installing energy metres on the trains for instance, Eurostar plans to reduce CO2 emissions per passenger by 25 percent by 2012.

Eurostar wants to offer entirely CO2 neutral travel starting 14 November. It will do this by investing in projects that compensate for the train service’s CO2 emissions.

Eurostar wants to cooperate with a number of environmental organisations in realising its plans. It says it will be the first railway company in the world to make its service CO2 neutral. It is significant that this will be achieved without extra cost for passengers.

Subject: Belgian news