Along with its efficiency and cost savings, rail transport has a small carbon footprint.
Here are some statistics from the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association regarding the green benefits of transport by rail.
- One rail freight car can carry the equivalent of four truck loads
- Railroads consume almost one-third less fuel than trucks per ton-mile moved
- One rail car can carry a ton of cargo 480 miles on one gallon of fuel
- Railroads are working to reduce emissions of particulate matter by 90% and
nitrogen oxide by 80%
- One train can remove more than 280 trucks (the equivalent of 1,100 cars) from
the highways
- If just 10% of the freight currently moving by truck moved by rail, over 1 billion
gallons of fuel would be saved and green house gas emissions would drop by
12 million tons
- Short line railroads take the equivalent of nearly 33 million truck loads off the
highways, saving the country over $1.4 billion annually in highway repair costs
"The railroad companies are far more fuel-efficient than trucks and relatively cheaper as fuel prices soar."
- The Wall Street Journal (July 25, 2008)