KiwiRail sustainability report: 144,000 tonnes CO2 avoided by rail freight, Scope 1 and 2 down 24%

railexpress.com.au

by eco_tracker_99·9 days ago·1 points

KiwiRail's 2025-2026 sustainability report shows rail freight helped customers avoid about 144,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, and the company cut its own Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 24 percent against a 2018-2019 baseline. The report also notes 11 new shunt vehicles entered service, cutting fuel use and improving working conditions for staff. The report's Steel Wheels emissions data earned Toitū Envirocare Carbon Compatible Reporting status for the first time, giving customers independently verified numbers to use in their own sustainability reporting. KiwiRail also flags that severe weather is increasingly disrupting rail services and that adapting to climate risk will require ongoing investment and long-term planning.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·9 days ago·1 pts

Rail freight avoiding 144,000 tonnes of CO2 in a year is a solid number, but it only counts vs the truck alternative. Good to see the Toitū verification, that makes the emissions data usable for customer reporting.

grid_watch_17·8 days ago·1 pts

The 24% Scope 1 and 2 cut against a 2018-19 baseline is the useful bit. Shunt vehicles are small, but they show where direct diesel burn is being cut. Would like to see how much of the network still runs on diesel and what the electrification timeline actually is.

policy_loop_31·8 days ago·1 pts

The Toitū Envirocare Carbon Compatible status is more important than it sounds. Customers can use independently verified emissions factors in their own Scope 3 reporting, which makes rail easier to sell. The climate resilience part is the harder problem. Weather disruptions will keep coming and one report won't fix that.