Sustainability on rail: highlights of InnoTrans 2024

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A scrap wagon as an exhibit on the outdoor area of InnoTrans 2024 in Berlin.
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07. October 2024, 00:00 o'Clock

Article: Sustainability on rail: highlights of InnoTrans 2024

Digitalization, automation and green steel: DB Cargo presented forward-looking solutions and received the UIC Sustainability Impact Award.

The leading international trade fair for transport technology, the biennial InnoTrans, came to an end last Friday - and was once again packed with exciting impressions and panel discussions. At the opening event, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing and State Secretary Susanne Henckel emphasized the importance of rail for climate protection and efficiency 

Green transformation in turbulent times

In addition to topics such as digitalization and automation, the focus was on DAK (digital automatic coupling) and "Green Steel". In a Mobility Talk at the DB exhibition booth, the Managing Director of the German Steel Federation, Kerstin-Maria Rippel, and Dr. Sigrid Nikutta, CEO of DB Cargo and Member of the Board of Management of Deutsche Bahn, discussed the green transformation in the steel industry. The decarbonization of steel production requires new logistics concepts, for example for the supply of new raw materials and energy such as hydrogen, which DB Cargo is already transporting safely in liquid form. New scrap logistics are also of great importance in this context: together with partners such as voestalpine, DB Cargo presented the new TransANT freight car for scrap logistics, which enables a 30 percent higher payload and thus increases efficiency.

  • 11 people in front of a red freight car at InnoTrans 2024.
  • Four people are standing inside an empty red freight car for scrap logistics.
  • Three people stand on a stage with microphones during a panel discussion. DB Mobility Talk" is playing in the background.
  • Three people stand on a stage with microphones during a panel discussion. DB Mobility Talk" is playing in the background.
  • A speaker with a microphone on a stage.
  • Four people stand on a stage with microphones during a panel discussion. DB Mobility Talk" is playing in the background.
  • Three people stand with a tablet at the DB Cargo stand at InnoTrans 2024.
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    • 11 people in front of a red freight car at InnoTrans 2024.
      Copyright: DB Cargo AG / Oliver Lang
    • Four people are standing inside an empty red freight car for scrap logistics.
      Copyright: DB Cargo AG / Oliver Lang
    • Three people stand on a stage with microphones during a panel discussion. DB Mobility Talk" is playing in the background.
      Copyright: DB Cargo AG / Oliver Lang
    • Three people stand on a stage with microphones during a panel discussion. DB Mobility Talk" is playing in the background.
      Copyright: DB Cargo AG / Oliver Lang
    • A speaker with a microphone on a stage.
      Copyright: DB Cargo AG / Oliver Lang
    • Four people stand on a stage with microphones during a panel discussion. DB Mobility Talk" is playing in the background.
      Copyright: DB Cargo AG / Oliver Lang
    • Three people stand with a tablet at the DB Cargo stand at InnoTrans 2024.
      Copyright: DB Cargo AG / Oliver Lang
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    Dialogue Forum DAC & UIC Sustainability Impact Award

    Dr. Sigrid Nikutta also spoke with industry representatives about the development of DAK at a dialogue forum. The core message: We need DAC - as a key technology for the competitiveness of rail freight transport. DAC will create 10 percent more capacity in the European rail network.  

    Another highlight was DB Cargo receiving the UIC Sustainability Impact Award in the "Energy and Decarbonization" category. DB Cargo was honored for testing and using the synthetic fuel HVO100 (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) - a biodiesel fuel made from waste and residues. Phasing out fossil diesel is a key lever for achieving climate neutrality by 2040.