Download the report → The Role of Rail Decarbonization Final.pdf

Transport is an imperative for economic and social development. It is the physical, social, and economic network that connects people to opportunities, goods to markets, and communities to prosperity. Improving the quality of transport infrastructure and services can help emerging economies address poverty and reduce inequality. 

As emerging economies invest in their transport systems, they are faced with a difficult decision: Do they follow the traditional development of fossil-fuel powered, road-vehicle dependent transport systems—despite the now clear environmental consequences—or do they forge a new development path for the transport sector consistent with global sustainable development and climate goals? While the policies, infrastructure, and technologies that make up the traditional development pathway for the transport sector might be well defined and present the path of least resistance, the many consequences of road vehicle dependent transport systems—including social exclusion, traffic fatalities and injuries, local air pollution, and the emissions of climate-warming greenhouse gases (GHGs)—show this trajectory to be too costly to continue to replicate. 

While more complex, a development trajectory that encourages multimodal and integrated transport systems could prove better for economic and social development while also contributing to climate action. Emerging economies with less mature transportation systems have the flexibility to explore new ways to leverage more sustainable infrastructure, policies, and technologies to leapfrog the transport system development of higher-income countries and limit the sector’s GHG emissions before they 

grow. By pursuing a low-carbon transport development trajectory, emerging economies can avoid lock-in to traditional, high-externality transport systems and circumvent the expensive retrofitting and replacing process that higher-income countries will be experiencing in the next few decades. 

The World Bank’s Decarbonization of Transport flagship activity brings together the expertise of numerous international specialists and World Bank staff to identify and characterize low-carbon transport system development pathways for lower-income countries. Starting from the economic and social development goals of emerging economies, the flagship activity sets out to define policy actions, infrastructure investments, and technologies that can help build safer, more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient—and also greener—transport systems. The flagship activity identifies the 

fundamental challenges faced by passenger and freight transport systems in low- and middle-income countries and key “win-win” actions for development and climate action in the transport sector.