Freight Rail’s Role in a Clean Energy Economy

The United States is blessed with the most extensive freight rail network in the world. Its 140,000 miles of track is unparalleled and serves nearly every sector of our economy by moving industrial goods, natural resources, as well as wholesale and retail products. More important, the rail network is key to driving emission reductions, while at the same time spurring job growth for the country.

Today, freight rail represents the most cost-effective, energy-efficient, and safest mode of moving goods on land. Rail moves 40 percent of freight (per ton-mile), yet accounts for less than one percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. A single freight train can move a ton of freight 472 miles on one gallon of fuel. By comparison, a typical truck gets 134 miles per ton out of a gallon. That is 1,000 gallons of fuel saved per carload. No other current mode of transportation can compete with this level of efficiency and environmental performance.

The rail industry also is a critical part of the economy. It accounts for approximately 1.1 million jobs and $71 billion in wages. These are highly skilled jobs that are well compensated. In addition, the operations and capital investments by the major freight railroads contribute about $219 billion in economic output.

The role of rail will be even more important to building the clean energy economy. The demand for freight in America will more than double in the next 30 years. With climate change as a growing challenge, the need for clean, energy-efficient transportation is paramount.

The time to shift to rail is now. The United States’ rail network is an ideal solution for meeting the growing freight demand, while reducing emissions.  Studies indicate about 85 percent of rail primary corridor mileage is underutilized. With advancements to current signaling systems and network efficiency solutions, the rail industry can increase the capacity of the network by 50 percent without adding a single piece of track. If freight rail utilization increases by 50 percent on routes over 500 miles, the industry can reduce 60 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year. That is the equivalent of taking 13 million cars off the road.

The emissions savings from rail utilization will be complemented by the today’s energy-efficient fleets consisting of Evolution Series Tier 4 locomotives, modernized locomotives, and fuel-saving digital solutions like Trip Optimizer. These solutions make the rail industry the cleanest and most efficient way to move freight. Rail will only get cleaner as the near-zero and zero-emission locomotives are introduced to the market in the years to come.

The rail network must and will play a key role in the country’s clean energy economy. Shifting to rail will reduce emissions, create jobs, and boost the economy.