Rail Transportation Research

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Pennsylvania State University *

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100

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Geography

Date

Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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4

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1. Approximately how many people use rail for transportation? 2. What amount of GHG does the rail industry produce annually? 3. How is the rail industry compared to the automobile industry? 4. How is railroad expansion good for the environment? - “Freight railroads account for just 0.5% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to EPA data, and just 1.9% of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. This is about 33 million metric tons.” o https://www.aar.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AAR-Sustainability- Fact-Sheet.pdf - “AAR analysis of federal data finds: If 25% of the truck traffic moving at least 750 miles went by rail instead, annual greenhouse gas emissions would fall by approximately 13.1 million tons.” o https://www.aar.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AAR-Sustainability- Fact-Sheet.pdf - “Rail transport is the most electrified transport sector, the IEA says. Globally, three-quarters of rail passenger movements and half of rail freight relies on electricity.” o https://www.carbonbrief.org/eight-charts-show-how-aggressive- railway-expansion-could-cut-emissions - “It also acts as an “oil saver”, the IEA says. If all services performed by railways were instead carried by planes, cars and trucks, transport-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions would be 1.2bn tonnes of CO2-equivalent (GtCO2e) per year higher, the report says. This is equivalent to the CO2 emissions of the   whole of Africa .” o https://www.carbonbrief.org/eight-charts-show-how-aggressive- railway-expansion-could-cut-emissions - “ On average, freight railroads move a ton of cargo for around   479 miles on a gallon of fuel , which is about   11 times more energy-efficient   than trucks   on a ton-mile basis.” o https://theconversation.com/rail-travel-is-cleaner-than-driving-or- flying-but-will-americans-buy-in-112128 o https://www.statista.com/statistics/261169/rail-passenger-activity-in- america/
In comparison with the automobile industry, the rail industry has made vast strides in moving towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Even before the significant shift to electric train systems, trains were still extremely fuel efficient in comparison with automobiles. “ On average, freight railroads move a ton of cargo for around   479 miles on a gallon of fuel , which is about   11 times more energy- efficient   than trucks   on a ton-mile basis (Hoffrichter, Andreas).” To show just how efficient trains are the AAR analyzed data that showed, “ if 25% of the truck traffic moving at least 750 miles went by rail instead, annual greenhouse gas emissions would fall by approximately 13.1 million tons (AAR).” Additionally, the IEA states that, “ Rail transport is the most electrified transport sector, and three- quarters of rail passenger movements and half of rail freight relies on electricity (Timperely, Jocelyn).” However, the rail industry is significantly easier to change rapidly due to a lower number of units. This will allow trains to lead the way in the public transportation shift to renewable energy sources. Furthermore, the rail industry still has a lot of passengers despite an extremely competitive and growing transportation market. Since just 2006 (in the Americas) traffic in passenger kilometers has risen from 12.8 billion to 26.9 billion in 2019, more than doubling in in 13 years (statista). Therefore, not only are companies impacted by railway industry changes, but the high volume of adults that use the subway system in many major cities could result in high consequences.
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