SIEMENS

At times in the past, societies have come very close to achieving sustainable mobility. One hundred years ago in Spain, for example, orange growers brought their harvests to market on mule-driven carts. Such vehicles were made of renewable materials and their drive system was an economical creature whose “fuel” could be found in abundance at the side of the road. Whenever this engine quit, a slap on the side was all it took to get it going again—something drivers today can only dream about. That mobility system didn't threaten the climate, since emissions of harmful gases were limited to the products of the mule's digestive process.

Today, oranges from Spain end up not only in local markets but also on supermarket shelves 1,000 km away. On the way there, they produce tons of CO₂, and the people who pick them often come from different countries rather than neighboring villages. Farmers have also become more mobile. For example, they may visit relatives hundreds of kilometers away in Madrid. But a trip that once took a week can now be completed in a couple of hours on a new high-speed Velaro train.

New mobility solutions have made our world smaller. But population growth has made it necessary to travel faster, which in turn increases pressure on resources and the environment. Around two billion people lived on the planet 100 years ago; today there are nearly seven billion. Each year, the world's population increases by around 80 million—and most of these people will also want to go on vacations, and travel on business.

According to the International Energy Agency, the transport sector already accounts for 28 % of global energy consumption. But there's a price to pay for all this mobility. Each year this sector emits some 6.4 billion tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere—23 % of worldwide energy-related CO₂ emissions. Personal transportation is the biggest polluter. More than 50 % of the transport sector's energy consumption can be attributed to cars, while road freight traffic accounts for 30 %. At 13 %, air traffic's contribution is relatively low, while rail systems account for only 2 % of the sector's energy use.

If the world is to grow closer together in a sustainable manner, transport volume should be shifted to rail system, says Hans-Jörg Grundmann, CEO of Siemens' Mobility Division. “We need to invest in new efficient trains and infrastructure,” Grundmann says. Entire regions in Asia are still without modern rail systems, for example, and road traffic is all the more prevalent as a result. “The average speed for cars in many large Asian cities is now less than ten kilometers per hour, which is leading to a huge increase in CO₂ emissions,” says Grundmann, who believes that expanding the rail network is the best way of achieving sustainable mobility.

Expanding Networks of Rail Lines. China is already moving in the right direction. The country, which has the most extensive rail network in Asia (even larger than India's), is getting its system ready for the future—mainly to ensure that it can accommodate rising freight and passenger volumes. To this end, China plans to expand its rail network from the current 86,000 km to 120,000 km by 2020. An associated investment of approximately €560 billion will flow mainly into the construction of high-speed rail lines.

In the U.S., the rail system is largely out of date. Although the United States has an extensive network, little has been done to improve infrastructure in many regions over the last hundred years. Rural railroads, in particular, are often marked by poorly maintained lines, abandoned stations, and old and slow trains. What's more, there are no high-speed trains like those found in Europe and Asia. Development over the last 50 years has focused on the highway system rather than on railroads, which has made the U.S. the automobile nation par excellence—with all the consequences that poses for the environment. According to the American Lung Association, in 2007 air pollution was higher in the greater Los Angeles area than in any other urban region in the United States. This isn't surprising, given the huge number of cars and the underdeveloped public transport system in LA.