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How are these data calculated?

For simplicity, the unit used is CO2. This should be understood as CO2e (CO2 equivalent):
  • CO2 is the main greenhouse gas, but other greenhouse gases (e.g., methane) also exist.
  • To combine them, non-CO2 gases are converted into CO2 equivalents.
  • CO2e is the unit that represents this CO2 equivalent.

Scope and distance of train journeys considered

  •  Journeys taken into account are those purchased before 2 December 2025 and made between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025. They concern online purchases on the French or European versions of the SNCF Connect website and app (excluding journeys made using a season ticket or via a TER tourist product). Only journeys made by customers with a customer account are taken into account.    
  • For domestic or mixed journeys (departure or destination station in France), with TGV, TGV INOUI, OUIGO Grande Vitesse, OUIGO Vitesse Classique, TER, INTERCITÉS, TGV Brussels, TGV Fribourg, TGV Luxembourg, TGV Inoui Italy, TGV France Spain, DB & SNCF in cooperation, TGV Lyria, Eurostar, Thalys (Eurostar Group) and intercity coaches.
  • Only tickets purchased for yourself are counted. The following are excluded: tickets purchased by a third party for yourself (even if they were subsequently imported into your account) or those purchased from your account for a third party.  
  • If you cancelled your trip until the 1st December 2025, the corresponding journey is not taken into account.  
  • Tickets are based on the initial purchases (excluding exchanges). If you partially exchanged your tickets before 1 December, the corresponding journey will still be taken into account.
  • The distance is taken from the railway lines' mileage databases.

Definitions and calculation of virtual objects collected

A journey refers to travel between an origin station and a destination station, with or without a connection.
A round trip counts as two journeys. The report is available to all customers who have completed at least 2 eligible journeys.

Depending on the number of journeys completed, you gain access to cumulative data about your train year:

2 journeys:

  • your number of journeys
  • your tenure badge
  • the distance travelled
  • the CO₂e emissions avoided compared with travelling by car

3 to 6 journeys:

  • All the above +
  • your badge if you travelled with multiple people
  • your number of new destinations visited

7 journeys or more:
All the above +

  • your preferred travel time
  • your Pro badge if you made a booking for professional travel

Depending on your number of journeys, you receive one of the following items:

  • “Pouch”: if you completed 2 journeys
  • “Backpack”: if you completed 3 to 6 journeys
  • “Travel bag”: if you completed 7 to 23 journeys
  • “Suitcase”: if you completed at least 24 journeys

Your preferred travel time is the time slot during which you had the highest number of departures:

  • Morning: departures between 05:00 and 12:00
  • Daytime: departures between 12:00 and 17:00
  • Evening: departures between 17:00 and 05:00 (French time)

Your regional snow globe corresponds to the region you travelled to the most.

  • Tenure badge:
  • You receive the “Rookie” badge if you did not complete any journeys in 2023 or 2024
  • You receive the “Expert” badge if you completed at least one journey in 2023 or 2024

Pro mode activated:
You receive the “Pro mode activated” badge if you selected “Professional” as your reason for travel for at least one journey between 1 January and 1st December 2025.

New destinations visited:
This corresponds to the number of new destination cities you visited in 2025 compared with your 2024 travels. If you visited at least one new destination, you receive:

  • “Compass”: 1 new destination
  • “Travel diary”: 2 new destinations
  • “Hat”: 3–4 new destinations
  • “Camera”: at least 5 new destinations
  • Depending on the total distance travelled, you receive one of the following items:
  • “Sandals”: less than 700 km
  • “Trainers”: between 700 km and 1,800 km
  • “Hiking boots”: between 1,800 km and 5,000 km
  • “Winged sandals”: more than 5,000 km

Calculation of CO2 emissions per journey

The CO₂e footprint of your journey is estimated by multiplying the distance travelled by the average CO₂e emissions per passenger per kilometre, based on the type of train used.

For each type of train, the annual average is calculated by dividing:
the previous year’s energy consumption × the CO₂e emission factor for each energy type,
by the total number of passengers carried the previous year and the total distance they travelled, according to the following formula:

GHG emissions of a passenger by train type, expressed in grams of CO₂e/km = (sum of electricity consumption × electricity emission factor) + (sum of diesel consumption × diesel emission factor) + (sum of biodiesel consumption × biodiesel emission factor), all divided by the total passenger-kilometres.
 
The emission factors for long, medium, and short-distance carriers are derived from the use, manufacturing, and maintenance of the vehicles, calculated in 2023, with the following averages:
 
  • 3.7 gCO2/km/passenger: TGV INOUI, TGV Brussels, TGV Fribourg, TGV Luxembourg, TGV France-Spain.
  • 2.5 gCO2/km/passenger: OUIGO Grande Vitesse.
  • 7.5 gCO2/km/passenger: OUIGO Vitesse Classique.
  • 30.4 gCO2/km/passenger: TER.
  • 7.5 gCO2/km/passenger: INTERCITÉS.
  • 10.5 gCO2/km/passenger: TGV Inoui Italy.
  • 5.5 gCO2/km/passenger: DB & SNCF in cooperation.
  • 3.6 gCO2/km/passenger: TGV Lyria.
  • 7.6 gCO2/km/passenger: Eurostar.
  • 9.5 gCO2/km/passenger: Thalys (Eurostar Group).
  • 151 gCO2/km/passenger: Intercity coaches.
 
When a journey involves multiple train types, the CO2 emissions are the sum of emissions for each segment.
For example, if your journey includes a TGV segment followed by a TER segment, the total CO2 emissions are the sum of emissions for the TGV and TER portions.
 
The methodology complies with regulations (Articles L.1431-3 and D.1431-1 to D.1431-23 of the French Transport Code) and the related methodological guide published by the State for GHG Information on Transport Services. It is based on the draft European standard for calculating and reporting energy use and GHG emissions of transport services (NF EN 16258).

Calculation of CO2 avoided

The savings achieved correspond to the difference between the amount of CO2 emitted during a train journey and during the same journey by car.  

For car journeys, the distance travelled in kilometres is converted into the CO2 emission factor for a car travelling 1 kilometre, with variations depending on the type of journey and the average occupancy rate.  

For this assessment, we used the emission factor for mixed travel with an average occupancy rate of 1.6 people, to which we added the emission factors for vehicle manufacturing (24.7 gCO2/km) and maintenance (2.2 gCO2/km), giving a total of 146 gCO2/km.