Around 1,000 DB Regio diesel rail vehicles are being equipped with telematics systems for energy efficiency. It is expected that 90 per cent of locomotives and railcars will be equipped accordingly by the end of 2018. This could save millions of litres of diesel and more than 30,000 tonnes of CO₂ each year - equivalent to the amount of CO₂ emitted from heating and supplying power to a small city.

The systems record when, where and how much diesel is used during train journeys. The data generated is analysed to provide driving guidelines and is transmitted to display screens in the driver’s cab, so that the driver can operate the train in a more energy-efficient way.

What already works for electrically-powered cars is about to become a reality for diesel trains: easing off the accelerator early, making use of momentum downhill, or letting the train roll along long distances, for example. Such measures can reduce consumption by up to ten per cent.

(Source: DB)