Towards a climate-friendly transit network in Barcelona
Sustainable development forms part of the very lifeblood of the city of Barcelona. Since the creation of its Agenda 21 in 2002, the city has been committed to providing safe, sustainable and efficient transportation services for all. In 2000, Barcelona called on Transdev to launch two tramway projects. This ambitious challenge, with important technical constraints, allowed us to demonstrate our expertise.
A long-standing relationship between Transdev and the city
Transdev has worked with the city council for a long while. The contract with the city began in 2000, for a period of 28 years. It covers the operation and maintenance of two branches of Barcelona’s tram system, representing 28.6 million journeys in 2017 along a 30-kilometer line.
In addition to providing a consistently high-quality service, Transdev works closely with the city to help it reach its objective of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 1% per year: firstly, by promoting the use of the tram, a clean transportation method, but also by optimizing its energy consumption. Following a complete environmental audit to identify the main hot spots, Transdev introduced several measures including defining a new environmentally-friendly driving program, optimizing the air conditioning system or installing a smart lighting system in the depots and stations.
These measures proved effective as the tram network operated by Transdev obtained ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system.
Successful new methods
The results from Barcelona are everything the group hoped for. Since 2013, the energy consumption of the tram system has been reduced by 4.5% and the new cleaning water recycling system made it possible to achieve a 70% consumption saving. All figures which amply demonstrate our steadfast commitment!
By optimizing these practices and adapting them to the specific characteristics of each town or city, Transdev is demonstrating its capacity to be a major integrated mobility provider everywhere and on a daily basis, serving passengers while also respecting the environment.
