Environment

Working every day to reduce our ecological footprint.

CP ECOjourney

Economic, energy, and environmental impact

CP has developed the first environmental simulator for the transport sector in Portugal which lets you see your energy efficiency and helps you change your habits to become more environmentally responsible.

How does the simulator work?

Use the simulator and you will see that on average a car (at the legal speed limit) emits 38.47 kg of carbon dioxide per passenger on a journey between Lisboa Oriente station and Oporto Campanhã station. A CP Alfa Pendular train carrying 301 passengers emits just 7.05 kg per passenger.

The difference is even greater if we compare aircraft emissions. An aeroplane on the same route would emit 4 times more carbon dioxide.

The environmental, economic and energetic impact Simulator – “ECOViagem-CP” has been designed by CP – Comboios de Portugal, E.P.E. in partnership with the IDMEC - Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica (pólo IST). The results given by the “ECO-ViagemCP” take into account the following suppositions:

  1. 45% of the vehicles on the national roads use petrol while the other 55% use diesel (data from 2016);
  2. Rush hour (periods of most road traffic and demand for rail services) is between 7h30 – 9h30 and 17h00 – 19h30;
  3. The distances covered by a car on journeys outside the cities are 6% shorter than those covered by the train while in the cities the inverse is true and car journeys are 6% longer;
  4. Trains taken into consideration: Alfa Pendular, Intercidades, Regionais, InterRegionais, Lisbon, Oporto and Coimbra Urban Trains.
  5. Calculation of emissions:
    • Car: EMEP/EEA* methods; calculation of the life cycle of fuel production;
    • Diesel powered trains: EMEP/EEA* methods; calculation of the life cycle of fuel production;
    • Electric powered trains: CP Sustainability Report
  6. Electricity/fuel consumption:
    • Car: EMEP/EEA* methods;
    • Trains: according to the technical specifications given in the rolling stock manuals.
  7. Costs:
    • Car: includes fuel costs for a standardised vehicle plus motorway tolls wherever applicable; Excludes: costs related with paying off the vehicle, insurance, services and parking fees in the case of urban routes;
    • Train: cost of buying a ticket for the journey in question.

* Air Pollutant Emission Inventory Guidebook 2019

Greenhouse gases (GHG): these are gases that contribute towards the Greehouse effect due to their physical or chemical properties. The main GHGs are: Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane – CH4 and Nitrous Oxide – N2O), but they all have quite different impacts on overall warming.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2): this gas is produced during combustion and it is the main Greenhouse gas.

Hydrocarbons: these are chemical compounds made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms. The most widely used fuels (petrol, diesel, natural gas and GPL) are fossil hydrocarbons and they are known as fossil fuels. When a fossil fuel is burned it produces carbon dioxide and water.

Atmospheric pollution: these are chemical compounds that can cause damage to the environment. This simulator takes into consideration those pollutants generated during the combustion of fossil fuels. Carbon monoxide and particles are considered as the most important for public health reasons because they are toxic or harmful for the environment even when present in low concentrations.

Carbon Monoxide (CO): this pollutant is caused by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and most of it is produced by petrol engines.

Partícles (PM): this pollutant is mainly produced by incomplete combustion in diesel engines.

Local emissions: emissions produced at the site of operations. In this context it refers to the pollutants produced by the use of internal combustion engines.

Global emissions: emissions arising not just from the use of the fuel but also the processes associated with its production and distribution. (See life-cycle analysis).

Life-cycle analysis: assessment of the impact arising from the production and distribution of a specific good. Here there is an assessment of the emissions and energy consumption associated with producing and distributing fuels and electricity.