Serbia looks to rail to reduce CO2

In Serbia, about 6.2 tonnes of CO2 per capita are emitted a year, which is about two times higher than the average of other countries with a similar or equal level of income and development.

by Sanja Jovanovic 

Out of 36 countries in Europe, Serbia is ranked as the fifth-biggest polluter per capita in terms of CO2 emissions. The transport sector is one of the biggest emitters of CO2, and the biggest polluter of the environment with annual emissions of 15% of total CO2 emissions. Implementation of energy efficient technologies and transportation policies would help to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 50% per kilometre.

Assistant Minister for railways and intermodal transport, within the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy of the Republic of Serbia, Dejan Lasica said: "It takes 5 billion Euros to improve rail service. According to the World Economic Forum, in terms of the infrastructure, Serbia is located in 84th place of 142 countries. The goal is to return passengers to the railways."

Serbian train. Photo copyright www.pancevo.ws

Dragoljub Damjanovic, director of Schneider Electric Serbianan international company specialized in energy management, added, "Saving energy is a real need, particularly in the transport sector. Schneider Electric has recognised this need and provides solutions such as efficient management of traffic through the system for complete management and optimization of traffic, use of energy efficient equipment for rail transport and power chargers for electric vehicles which are the future of transportation."

Railway transport is five times more energy efficient than air travel, and also emits four times less CO2 than the airplanes and seven times less than in road transport per passenger. 

If we apply the latest technological solutions, energy efficiency would be at such a high level that it would allow a car to cross 100 kilometres with only 4 litres of fuel instead of 10 litres which is the average consumption per vehicle in Serbia today. 

Train passengers in Serbia. Photo copyright subotica.com

Transport makes up 7% of the EU’s GDP, employs 5% of the total number of employees and therefore is a pillar of the European economy.