How Much CO₂ Can Rail Really Save? LTG Cargo Updates Its Green Kilometres Calculator

How green is rail freight, really? LTG Cargo’s updated green kilometres calculator turns sustainability claims into hard numbers, showing exactly how much CO₂ businesses can save by shifting freight from road to rail.

The rail freight company LTG Cargo, part of the LTG Group, has updated its Green Kilometres Calculator, an online tool enabling businesses to calculate how much carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emissions they save by shifting semi-trailers or containers from road to rail using one of LTG Cargo’s regular intermodal routes.

The Green Kilometres Calculator is a sustainability initiative designed to encourage customers to choose greener logistics solutions. LTG Cargo developed the tool in response to growing demand from clients and partners seeking transparent calculations of CO₂e emissions savings achieved by transporting intermodal freight by rail rather than road.

"We updated the calculator for several reasons: first, the current methodology for calculating savings is now closer to European calculation standards. Second, it is now very easy to use—just a few clicks are enough to find out how much CO₂e a business saves by choosing rail instead of road transport for semi-trailers or containers," said Eglė Šimė, Chief Executive Officer of LTG Cargo.

To estimate potential CO₂e savings, users simply select one of LTG Cargo’s regular intermodal routes in the calculator and indicate how many containers and/or semi-trailers they plan to transport. For example, transporting five containers on the longest intermodal route from Kaunas to Duisburg (Germany) results in estimated savings of 3.7 tonnes of CO₂e emissions.

According to the rail freight operator’s CEO, business interest in intermodal transport is driven not only by reduced greenhouse gas emissions but also by broader societal benefits. Shifting freight to rail means less noise and greater road safety. A single intermodal train carries up to 36 containers or semi-trailers, effectively removing the same number of heavy trucks from the roads. This reduces road wear, helps address driver shortages, and improves traffic safety by lowering the risk of accidents.

Intermodal transport also offers stable timetables and avoids road tolls, making it particularly attractive for long-distance and international freight movements.

At present, LTG Cargo operates regular intermodal services on the routes Klaipėda–Kaunas Intermodal Terminal (KIT)–Vilnius Intermodal Terminal (VIT) and Kaunas Intermodal Terminal (KIT)–Łódź (Poland)–Duisburg.

Each year, LTG Cargo awards Green Kilometres Certificates to customers who have achieved CO₂e emissions savings. Between 2022 and 2024, businesses transporting intermodal freight with LTG Cargo saved a total of 163,873 tonnes of CO₂e compared with equivalent road transport emissions. More than 400 LTG Cargo customers received certificates confirming these savings, and in 2025 alone, intermodal transport services attracted around 40 new customers.

LTG Cargo is a freight transport company within the LTG Group, actively pursuing integration and expansion in Western markets. The company provides freight transport, intermodal services, logistics and forwarding, cargo handling, locomotive and wagon maintenance, and wagon leasing services in Lithuania and abroad. LTG Cargo has established and operates subsidiaries LTG Cargo Polska in Poland and LTG Cargo Ukraine in Ukraine. In developing greener rail freight solutions, the company employs a team of approximately 1,700 logistics professionals.

Source: LTG Cargo Press Release