Alstom has started to develop  Automated locomotives in the Netherlands and Belgium and these have resulted to be a great sustainable choice for the transport of goods.

The potential of automated locomotives goes even further. First and foremost, automation can help drive a general trend towards more sustainable transport. As transportation accounts for around a quarter of global C02 emissions, and trains are around four or five times more energy efficient than trucks, automated locomotives represent a more sustainable choice environmentally speaking.  

Trains equipped with Automatic Train Operation can also operate at closer intervals. Tighter spacing increases the capacity of the whole network and reduces its energy consumption because trains operate more uniformly. Automated operation can therefore be an added value to help operators manage increasing traffic without making expensive changes to the network’s infrastructure.