Deutsche Bahn (DB) is taking a major step towards sustainable infrastructure by purchasing rails made from green steel for the first time. The company’s infrastructure division, DB InfraGO, has signed a contract with Saarstahl Rail for the supply of around 1,000 tonnes of low-carbon steel – equivalent to 22 kilometres of track – to be installed in North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.
The pilot project marks an important milestone for sustainable supply chains and circular economy practices in the rail industry.
70% lower CO₂ emissions through innovative steelmaking
The green steel is produced at Saarstahl Ascoval in France, where the company uses electric arc furnace (EAF) technology instead of the traditional blast furnace process. Rather than smelting iron ore with coal, the EAF method melts scrap metal and used rails to produce new steel, reducing CO₂-equivalent emissions by up to 70% compared with conventional steelmaking.
For the 1,000 tonnes supplied to DB, this corresponds to an estimated reduction of around 1,800 tonnes of CO₂e.
“Sustainable construction and local value creation go hand in hand”
Philipp Nagl, CEO of DB InfraGO AG, said:
“With the use of emissions-reduced steel, we are making an important contribution to making our construction materials and procurement processes in railway infrastructure even more sustainable. Together with Saarstahl Rail, we are demonstrating in this pilot project that climate-friendly construction and domestic value creation can go hand in hand.
“We are also strengthening lead markets for emissions-reduced building materials. In this way, we are shaping an infrastructure that will remain sustainable and economically viable in the long term.”
Green steel as a building block for the mobility transition
Jonathan Weber, Member of the Executive Board for Transformation at Saarstahl and responsible for Saarstahl Rail, added:
“It is a strong signal for sustainable construction that Deutsche Bahn is using Saarstahl Rail’s low-carbon steel rails in its infrastructure expansion. With this, the green rail has established itself in the international railway sector as an important component for the success of the mobility transition. It also serves as a model for the use of emissions-reduced materials in other industries.”
Towards a climate-neutral railway
Rail is already the most climate-friendly motorised mode of transport, and DB aims to be climate-neutral by 2040, reducing greenhouse gas emissions across its entire value chain to net zero.
As part of its ecological transformation, the company is focusing on five key areas:
- Climate resilience
- Climate protection
- Resource conservation
- Environmental protection
- Noise reduction
DB is also investing heavily in a modern and reliable infrastructure. Currently, around 50% of DB’s Scope 3 emissions – indirect greenhouse gases from its upstream and downstream supply chains – stem from construction activities. To address this, DB is increasingly relying on emissions-reduced materials, including green steel and green concrete, which are now being tested and integrated into its procurement processes.
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