Travel by train and save energy

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    • A train driver steers the ICE while looking through the windshield onto the track.
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    Deutsche Bahn train drivers attend special training courses to learn how to get trains to their destination as energy-efficiently as possible. Thanks to this energy-efficient driving, around 13 percent of energy can be saved on long-distance services alone. On a trip from Munich to Frankfurt, this amounts to around 560 kilowatt hours of electricity.

    Saving energy with modern technology

    Train drivers are supported in their energy-saving driving by driver assistance systems. These use the line topography and the timetable, for example, to inform the drivers when they can switch off the traction system early to let the train coast to a stop. Such assistance systems are already in use in long-distance and freight transport. Electric trains on regional services also have energy meters. The technology is now also being installed in regional diesel trains as well.

    Telematics systems in use at DB Regio

    DB Regio has equipped the majority of its diesel fleet with telematics systems. A special software, the RESY regional energy saving system, shows train drivers recommendations for an energy-efficient driving style on a display. Train drivers can use these strategies to drive efficiently at all times, even on unfamiliar routes.

    Thanks to the system's driving recommendations and the environmentally friendly approach taken by train drivers, energy consumption has been reduced by up to ten percent. 

    LEADER supports Cargo train drivers

    At DB Cargo, train drivers are shown driving recommendations for the most energy-efficient speed possible via an additional display. These suggestions are based on train data, the schedule and the route’s elevation profile. In addition, the train drivers regularly receive personal overviews of their own energy use.

    Following the successful implementation of LEADER 3.0 in Germany, the system is now also being tested for use in other European countries. LEADER has already been installed on around two thirds of the electric locomotives at DB Cargo. In addition, the first diesel main-line locomotives were equipped with the driver assistance system in 2024.

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