Environment
Railroads are the environmentally-friendly way to move freight, thanks to their unique ability to fight highway gridlock, lower fuel consumption, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce pollution. Through the development of new “green” technologies and environmentally-responsible operating practices, railroads are committed to even greater environmental excellence in the years ahead.
- A freight train moves a ton of freight an average of 480 miles on a single gallon of fuel. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, railroads are 1.9 to 5.5 times more fuel-efficient than trucks, depending on the commodity carried and length of the haul. Railroad fuel efficiency is up 94 percent since 1980.
- Because greenhouse gas emissions are directly related to fuel consumption, railroads have a lower carbon footprint. In fact, depending on the commodity and distance traveled, moving freight by truck can emit more than 5 times more carbon dioxide than moving the same freight by rail.
- If just 10 percent of long-distance freight that currently moves by highway switched to rail, national fuel savings would exceed one billion gallons a year and annual greenhouse gas emissions would fall by some 12 million tons.
- From 1980 through 2008, U.S. freight railroads emitted 579 million fewer tons of carbon dioxide thanks to their fuel efficiency gains.
- A single freight train can take the load of 280 or more trucks — equivalent to 1,100 cars — off our overcrowded highways. Moving freight by rail also reduces the pressure to build costly new roads and helps cut the cost of maintaining the roads we already have.
Our country demands more affordable, efficient and environmentally-responsible transportation and our railroads provide it.
The solution to a cleaner, greener future for America? It's freight rail.
More Information:
“Railroads: Green From the Start” Background Paper (PDF)
“Freight Railroads = Less Highway Gridlock” Background Paper (PDF)
“Freight Railroads Offer a Smart, Effective Way to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions” Background Paper (PDF)
AAR’s Carbon Calculator
An easy-to-use tool for estimating the carbon dioxide emissions savings that result from shipping various commodities between various cities by rail instead of by truck.