We are wholly committed to sustainability. Not only do we work to make our services more efficient, but also to become the centre of a more sustainable logistics chain and mobility system. We include your free Cercanías (Commuter) ticket in your AVE and Larga Distancia (long-distance high-speed) ticket so that you can reach the station easily and in eco-friendly fashion. We favour the transport of bicycles on trains, we promote train + train mobility through our link product with a guarantee of continuity, and we make an effort to go further by fostering agreements with other companies to offer train + plane, train + bus and train + boat products too.
A leap in this comprehensive, sustainable mobility is our "Renfe As a Service" pilot project, which will integrate different modes so that you can take Viajes de Puerta a Puerta (door-to-door journeys).
These policies make Renfe a key player in the mitigation of climate change in the Spanish transport sector, and an essential part of any logistics chain, mobility service offer (MaaS), or sustainable tourist product.
Due to its high safety level, rail transport of hazardous goods is a key factor in the protection of ecosystems by preventing other types of transport with a higher risk of accident and therefore a higher potential impact on biodiversity and on human health.
We transport 1.8 million tonnes of dangerous goods a year, which is equivalent to taking about 60,000 journeys by heavy lorries loaded with dangerous goods off the road.
We also manage 67 facilities located in protected open spaces or nearby areas. Of them, 55 are Cercanías (Commuter) stations, where there is little impact, and 12 are railway stock maintenance workshops, where we take the strict environmental precautions.
Since 2013, we have participated in Zero Impact, a project run by the European LIFE 2012 programme and one of many dedicated to environmental conservation and co-financed by the European Commission.
The main goal of the Life Zero Impact project (for the protection of birds along Alta Velocidad (high-speed) rail lines) is:
Led by Adif with the participation, in addition to Renfe Viajeros, of the Autonomous University of Madrid, FCC and Prointec, this project works to develop and assess the effectiveness of a new anti-collision screen design, based on the "tube-free screen" concept implemented at km 101 of the Madrid-Valencia high-speed line.
This design may be deployed on other Alta Velocidad (high-speed) lines, particularly in areas where birds required special protection.
The advantages in terms of the environmental sustainability of rail travel in fighting climate change may be even greater, which is why Renfe has teamed up with Adif and Adif Alta Velocidad to promote the Master Plan to combat Climate Change. This plan is structured in 4 strategic lines: energy management, energy efficiency, decarbonisation and culture. We can summarise this in one huge commitment: reduce 9.9 million tonnes of Co2 by 2030 and save more than 250 million euros in external costs.