New carbon calculator helps KiwiRail customers make sustainable choices

KiwiRail has launched a carbon calculator to meet increasing demand from customers wanting to compare carbon emissions from rail, road and air.

It allows users to input information about what is travelling on the KiwiRail network, then estimates the emissions created by that journey and compares it to equivalent journeys by road or air. The total emissions calculated also includes the Interislander when rail freight crosses the Cook Strait.

Great Journeys New Zealand passengers will be able to compare their journeys on the Northern Explorer, TranzAlpine and Coastal Pacific to the same journeys by car. In the case of the Northern Explorer, they can compare emissions to the equivalent flight. The calculator helps environmentally conscious passengers confirm their choice of rail as a sustainable mode of transport.

“Increasingly, customers want more information to support their transport decisions, and tools for estimating and comparing carbon emissions are now common features of transport providers worldwide,” says KiwiRail Executive Vanessa Oakley.

“Our new calculator is a simple tool that makes it easy for our customers to assess their estimated carbon footprints and compare travel choices.”

KiwiRail has set targets to reduce its own emissions by 40 per cent in the next 10 years and to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, in line with the Government’s target. Transport contributes 18 per cent to New Zealand’s overall emissions. Rail is a lower-carbon form of transport and travelling via Great Journeys New Zealand scenic trains provides a lower emissions option for environmentally conscious customers wanting to enjoy their journey across the motu.

KiwiRail’s free tool will also be a game changer for the many business operators who have carbon commitments and want easier ways to make informed sustainable decisions.

The calculator’s methodologies, inputs and assumptions have been externally reviewed and verified by Toitū Envirocare.

It can be found now on both the Great Journeys New Zealand website and the KiwiRail website.

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