UIC played an active role at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, ensuring that the rail sector was recognised as a central pillar of transport climate mitigation and resilience. With expectations low for major negotiated outcomes this year, much of the momentum shifted to the Brazilian presidency ‘action agenda’ led by Non-Party Stakeholders, offering opportunities to strengthen partnerships and position rail across climate policy, finance and resilience discussions. UIC’s delegation included strong member participation, with Ana Patrizia Gonçalves Lira (ANPTrilhos) and Stellah Ndiwa MEIK (Kenya Railways Corporation) joining UIC’s Head of Advocacy, Joo-Hyun Ha and Director for Sustainability, Lucie Anderton.
Advancing UIC’s key messages
UIC focused its COP30 engagement on four priority areas: NDCs, carbon markets, resilience and freight, demonstrating rail’s relevance across climate action.
NDCs: Raising ambition for rail
Although many countries have yet to publish updated NDCs, UIC’s partial analysis shows an increase in countries referencing rail, largely driven by the latest EU-27 plan, which references the power of rail for the first time. Version 3 of the European NDC states that “rail infrastructure, public transport and active mobility are significant levers to promote modal shift and ultimately reduce road transport emissions”. It is critical that there is a stronger recognition of rail as a climate solution in order to unlock international climate finance, particularly for developing countries, by decoupling economic growth from rising transport emissions. These findings were highlighted across several COP30 action-agenda sessions to reinforce the need for more rail-inclusive NDCs in this next submission cycle and, more importantly, in their implementation.
Carbon markets: Unlocking finance for rail and public transport
The UIC delegation followed discussions on the setting up of the Article 6 carbon markets, which could hold significant potential for rail and public transport projects, especially in low- and middle-income countries. UIC and UITP’s joint position paper highlights the barriers and solutions for making these markets work for the sector, including matters such as approving new methodologies and defining financial additionality. At COP30, UIC raised awareness of these issues and started building support for this approach. All UIC members and partners can show their support for this work here.
Resilience: Integrating rail into the adaptation agenda
Rail investments deliver both mitigation and resilience. Climate adapted and well-maintained systems can continue operation and/or bounce back quickly in the event of floods, heatwaves, landslides or storms. Railway’s centralised operations also make climate risk management and recovery more efficient than dispersed road networks. COP30 discussions underscored the importance of embedding rail into national adaptation strategies and dedicated adaptation funding mechanisms, highlighting its role as a social and economic lifeline.
Green freight corridors
Electric freight corridor projects were a topic of discussion at COP30, often centring on electric truck charging infrastructure. UIC called for rail to be recognised as the backbone of low-carbon, resilient freight corridors. Key priorities stressed included multimodal, system-level planning linking ports, cities and industrial hubs, building partnerships across public and private actors, and mobilising innovative financing to make green corridors viable and scalable. By advancing these actions, rail is positioned as central to climate-smart, inclusive freight networks.
Turning point for transport visibility
For the first time at COP, a Transport Pavilion – coordinated by SLOCAT and sponsored by UIC – served as a hub and event space for the sustainable transport community. It enhanced sector visibility and helped advance the ‘avoid-shift-improve’ narrative, with rail increasingly recognised as the backbone of sustainable mobility.
Week one of the congress saw some important announcements on transport, particularly from the Government of Chile, which, through its Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, launched a declaration endorsed by Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Slovenia, Norway, Spain, Austria and Portugal. The declaration “Towards resilient and low-emissions transport systems for people, development and the planet” proposes reducing the transport sector’s energy demand by 25% by 2035, with one-third of that energy coming from renewable sources and/or sustainable biofuels. A shift to rail is a highly effective way for countries to reduce their transport energy demand.
Looking ahead
UIC will build on COP30 momentum by completing the full NDC 3.0 analysis, advancing Article 6.4 carbon market methodologies under the UN Decade of Action, and reviewing National Adaptation Plans to strengthen rail’s position in resilience and adaptation strategies.
Reflecting on the event, Anderton said “COP30 could be a turning point for transport. Building on previous years, there is a new level of focus on this sector of growing emissions. We’ve noticed a new emphasis on action-orientated projects and on adaptation; UIC is now intentionally getting into the detail of implementing the Paris Agreement for the benefit of railways globally”.
UIC remains committed to ensuring rail is recognised – and resourced – as a cornerstone of a low-carbon, resilient global transport system.
