In an era of increasing environmental awareness, sustainable freight transport is becoming crucial for reducing carbon footprints and preserving natural resources. Rail transport, inherently energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, offers a vital solution for sustainable freight transport. This master's thesis examines a comparative assessment of the environmental sustainability of Slovenske železnice (SŽ) in freight transport. Initially, European and Slovenian directives and legislation in the field of sustainable rail freight transport are presented. Various directives of the European Community and local legislation, transport strategies, and national energy plans of Slovenia were analyzed to understand the regulatory framework and guidelines that influence sustainable practices. This is followed by a review of scientific literature highlighting sustainability indicators such as the share of electrified lines, the use of renewable energy sources, CO2 emissions per unit of transported freight, and the annual volume of transported goods. These indicators were later used to assess the environmental sustainability efficiency of SŽ. The Data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology was chosen to evaluate the efficiency of rail operators, including CRS and VRS models, and considering both desirable and nezaželeni izhodi. The results showed that SŽ are among the most efficient operators compared to other European operators such as ÖBB (Austria) and MAV (Hungary). The thesis emphasizes the importance of sustainable development in rail freight transport and highlights SŽ as an example of successfully combining efficiency and sustainability, which is crucial for the future of freight transport in Europe.
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