Sector overview
Railways move millions of passengers and tonnes of freight each day, reducing road congestion and protecting the climate from significant environmental emissions.
Approximately 3% of investments in our portfolio are rail-related, including projects across Europe and Australia and we strive to share best practices for improving safety, sustainability and accessibility across our rail network.
8,000+
968
76%
ESG impacts
Rail is the greenest form of long-distance transport. Each tonne of freight transported by rail, by one estimate, cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 76% compared to road haulage. Our rail investments also make a vital contribution to economic development and job creation. Benefits emerging from some of our rail projects include:
- Reducing emissions – Rail is already more environmentally-friendly than other modes of transport but full decarbonisation of railways needs investment in areas such as modern, environmentally friendly rolling stock. Our Australian investment Regional Rail is constructing 117 new rail cars to the highest standards of energy efficiency and safety, while investee Touax Group provides low carbon solutions for rail equipment across 6,900 owned platforms.
- Economic development – Rail projects create jobs, facilitate trade and make an enormously contribution to economic growth. Our rail investments have helped create over 8,000 temporary and permanent jobs.
- Recycling and circular economy – We push all our rail investees to reuse, repurpose or redeploy all surplus or end-of-life materials. Our partners at Touax rail for example commit to sell or recycle all rail cars no longer in use and sell steel containers on the secondary market for repurposing in sectors such as housing and storage.
“Rail is already a low carbon form of transport but we are investing in further decarbonising the sector, through modern rolling stock and environmental solutions. We also back rail-related investments that prioritise community engagement, economic development and accessibility for all.”
Frank Siblesz,
Senior Director, DIF Capital Partners
