EcoTransIT is an online emission calculator and enables users the quantification of energy consumption and emissions of worldwide freight transport by trucks, trains, ships and airplanes. INFRAS in collaboration with the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU) Heidelberg is in charge of the development of the methodology of EcoTransIT while the programming of the tool is conducted by IVE mbH Hannover. The EcoTransIT consortium consisting of DB Schenker, Gebrüder Weiss, Gefco, Geodis, Green Cargo, Greencarrier, Hamburg Süd, Hapag-Lloyd, Austrian Railways, SBB, SNCF, System Alliance Europe, Trenitalia and International Union of Railways (UIC) is responsible for the funding.The methodology of EcoTransIT has been currently revised substantially by INFRAS and IFEU. The calculation of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission is now carried out in accordance with the new European standard EN 16258. For each calculation EcoTransIT provides a declaration fulfilling the requirements of the standard EN 16258. Furthermore the emission factors used particularly for the calculation of air freight have been updated fundamentally.Energy consumption and emissions of transport chains can be calculated free of charge by following the link: www.ecotransit.org.

Participation means being able to contribute and taking part in shaping and decision-making. Participation is a very common formula in our democratic system and it has also become considerably more important in the realisation of transport projects. As part of the research project SVI 2004/005 of the Swiss Association of Traffic Engineers SVI, INFRAS, together with ecoptima and kcw have developed a manual «Participation in Transport Projects».

The study calculates the external and social environmental, accident and health-related effects of transport in Switzerland in 2010. In doing so, previous calculations are subject to a methodological review, and recalculated using fully updated data sources. The external costs of air and waterborne transport as well as non-motorised transport (pedestrian and cycle traffic) are calculated for the first time.Aggregated across the four modes of transport, total external costs come to over CHF 9,400 million for 2010. At CHF 5,500 million, private motorised road transport is the main originator of these external costs, followed by road freight transport at CHF 1,000 million. Air transport resulted in external costs of CHF 920 million, while rail transport accounts for CHF 740 million and waterborne transport generated external costs of CHF 57 million. In addition to external costs of CHF 900 million, non-motorised transport generates external health benefits worth CHF 1,300 million.

Based on a newly created pool containing data of the Road Traffic Accident Register, other registers of the Swiss Federal Roads Office as well as from various other data sources, the influence of vehicle properties on road accidents are being examined: Passenger cars are involved in an accident every 900'000 km on average and take part in the vast majority of all accidents on Swiss roads. Trams show a comperatively high accident rate, however, they are mostly operating in heavy traffic in urban areas where interactions with other road users are frequent. Trams are very rarely identified as the responsible party in accidents. Also high accident rates are observed with e-bikes (pedelecs). Compared to conventional bicycles their accident rates are considerably higher. The accident rates of motorcycles are more than twice as high as the ones of passenger cars.

While in the recent years the mobility in the context of everyday life has almost stagnated in Central Europe, long-distance mobility continues to grow substantially. Against this background, the study at hand presents a lay of the land with regard to current trends and future perspectives of long-distance mobility in Central Europe, with a particular focus on Germany. In speaking of long-distance mobility, the study refers to all trips of more than 100 km (one-way).The segment of long trips to very distant destinations is dominated by holiday travel which accounts for a third of the long-distance passenger mileage. However, in the last ten years little has changed in this segment with regard to the number of trips, the average trip distance, and the use of transport modes.The segments of long-distance mobility which are currently growing most substantially and will continue to do so in the mid-term future are business trips and long trips in the context of everyday life, e.g. long-distance commuting. Important driving factors for this development are the demographic development and the evolution of settlement patterns, both of which also promote multi-local lifestyles.