CSR and Transitions

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Our ambition: to make you prefer the train

Today, we are witnessing a new golden age for rail, driven in particular by the urgent need to tackle climate change. As the mode of transport that emits the least carbon, we have a responsibility to take our full place in a low-carbon society by making trains the backbone of mobility.

Our objectives for 2030

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by traction by 30% and by 50% those generated by real estate (versus 2015)
Recover 100% of reusable waste and reinforce circular economy principles
Reduce water consumption by 20% (vs 2022)
Thanks to the train, avoid 20 million T of_CO2ein the transport carbon footprint
100% of employees trained in CSR concepts

The train is the most responsible mode of transport. It's up to us to make this strength a reflex for everyone.

Christophe Fanichet, Chairman and CEO of SNCF Voyageurs

Transport carbon comparator

Taking the train in France means reducing by 90% on average the_CO2eemitted for an equivalent journey by road or air*.

* comparison on complete perimeters. Average figure. Air travel is only compared with the TGV.

Download the pdf version of the CO2 transport comparator

Table showing greenhouse gas emissions for a passenger traveling one kilometer in France, taking into account the impact of vehicle use, manufacture and maintenance (gCO2e/Passenger/Kilometer).

Comparison of long-distance data, in ascending order:

TGV (3.5 grams of CO2e in total, including 2.5 grams of CO2e for use; 0.6 grams of CO2e for manufacture; 0.4 grams of CO2e for maintenance)
Intercités (6.7 grams of CO2e in total, including 5.1 grams of CO2e for use; 0.3 grams of CO2e for manufacturing; 1.3 grams of CO2e for maintenance)
Coach (38 grams of CO2e in total, including 33 grams of CO2e for use; 2 grams of CO2e for manufacture; 3 grams of CO2e for maintenance)
Car (89 grams of CO2e in total, including 58 grams of CO2e for use; 29 grams of CO2e for manufacturing; 2 grams of CO2e for maintenance)
Airplane (125 grams of CO2e in total, including 123 grams of CO2e for use; 0.4 grams of CO2e for manufacturing; 2 grams of CO2e for maintenance).

Train (8.3 grams of CO2e in total, including 6 grams of CO2e for use; 1.6 grams of CO2e for manufacturing; 0.7 grams of CO2e for maintenance).

Comparison of short- and medium-distance data, in ascending order:

Transilien (12.3 grams of CO2e in total, including 6.3 grams of CO2e for use; 4.9 grams of CO2e for manufacturing; 1.1 grams of CO2e for maintenance)
TER (23.8 grams of CO2e in total, including 19.4 grams of CO2e for use; 3.2 grams of CO2e for manufacturing; 1.2 grams of CO2e for maintenance)
Coach (89 grams of CO2e in total, including 84 grams of CO2e for use; 2 grams of CO2e for manufacture; 3 grams of CO2e for maintenance).
Electric car (97 grams of CO2e in total, including 12 grams of CO2e for use; 84 grams of CO2e for manufacturing; 1 gram of CO2e for maintenance).
Internal combustion car (112 grams of CO2e in total, including 84 grams of CO2e for use; 26 grams of CO2e for manufacturing; 2 grams of CO2e for maintenance)

For the long-distance segment, for the car mode, the data is based on a mix of electric and combustion-powered cars. An occupancy rate of 2.2 passengers is applied, corresponding to long-distance travel.

On the short and medium-haul segment, for car modes, an occupancy rate of 1.6 passengers is applied, corresponding to medium-haul.

The coach figure is calculated from an average of the three coach types (long-distance, intercity and Île-de-France), weighted by the actual distances covered.

For SNCF Voyageurs transport modes, 2024 values for use, manufacture and maintenance (maintenance-related emissions only include energy consumption used to maintain our trains).

For other modes, ADEME Base Empreinte values for use and manufacturing, and Carbone 4 study values for SNCF for maintenance.