§ Sector · 03

Rail

−9%Consumption

Diesel locomotives · Shunters

A locomotive that burns cleaner runs longer between overhauls. Soot deposits drop; EGR stays clean; savings compound in fuel and in maintenance.

§ On the line Where every running hour is billable

From bench to the mainline.

Diesel locomotives and shunters log thousands of hours under heavy load. A cleaner combustion cycle stretches overhaul intervals — and keeps EGR circuits free of soot where every mile counts.

Diesel locomotive on a mainline track at sunset, with NTROPYX® dispenser bottle in the foreground

§ 02 · Economic impact

EU27 — 1.18 billion litres of rail diesel. 9% recoverable.

European rail is 79% electric. The remaining 21% — 42 329 TJ burned by diesel locomotives and shunters in 2023 (Eurostat) — is the residual hydrocarbon scope: ~1.18 Bn L. Cleaner combustion compounds maintenance gains on engines that run thousands of hours a year.

EU27 · Rail diesel 2023

1.18Bn L

Gas oil & diesel burned per year

Derivation: Eurostat [nrg_bal_c] series FC_TRA_RAIL_E / siec O4671XR5220B = 42 329 TJ EU27. Converted at diesel LHV 36 MJ/L → 1.18 Bn L.

Rail energy mix · EU27 2023

214 PJ total

Electric78.9%

Diesel19.8%

Bio1.3%

Catalyst factor

−9%

Avg. consumption reduction on diesel locomotives (homepage data)

Volume recoverable · EU27

0.11Bn L

Diesel savable per year at sector scale

Economic value

~0.16Bn €

Estimated at EU average diesel price ≈ 1.50 €/L

Rail diesel — country by country

EU27 · 2023 · Million litres / year

Germany278

France144

Romania117

Poland96

Czechia83

Denmark62

Spain55

Ireland47

Hungary39

Lithuania32

Austria30

Belgium26

Netherlands26

Latvia25

Finland21

Estonia16

Croatia14

Italy14

Sweden13

Bulgaria11

Portugal10

Slovenia8

Greece5

Luxembourg3

Sources · Eurostat Complete Energy Balances [nrg_bal_c] — query FC_TRA_RAIL_E × O4671XR5220B (Gas oil & diesel, rail transport final consumption) × TJ × 2023. Diesel conversion: LHV 36 MJ/L. Switzerland excluded (~100% electrified rail network). — 2024 & 2025 not yet published in harmonised form by Eurostat; latest complete sectoral breakdown is 2023.

CNASL23122

CMA171704090335

ILAC · MRAISO/IEC 17025

Sector deep-dive

Detailed sector content in preparation

Operational conditions, dosing protocol, field data and case studies for rail will appear here. For scoping a pilot on your locomotive fleet, request a technical call.

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