Last year, major freight railroads in the United States moved a ton of freight an average of 436 miles on each gallon of fuel. That represents a 3.1 percent improvement over 2006 and an 85.5 percent improvement since 1980, reports The Association of American Railroads.
"That's the equivalent of moving a ton of freight all the way from Baltimore to Boston on just a single gallon of diesel fuel," said AAR President Ed Hamberger. He noted that thanks to railroads' fuel efficiency gains, since 1980 freight railroads have reduced fuel consumption by 48 billion gallons and carbon dioxide emissions by 538 million tons.
Hamberger pointed out that railroads are three or more times more fuel efficient than trucks, adding: "In fact, if just 10 percent of the freight currently moving by truck went instead by rail, the nation could save 1 billion gallons of fuel per year."
"That's the equivalent of moving a ton of freight all the way from Baltimore to Boston on just a single gallon of diesel fuel," said AAR President Ed Hamberger. He noted that thanks to railroads' fuel efficiency gains, since 1980 freight railroads have reduced fuel consumption by 48 billion gallons and carbon dioxide emissions by 538 million tons.
Hamberger pointed out that railroads are three or more times more fuel efficient than trucks, adding: "In fact, if just 10 percent of the freight currently moving by truck went instead by rail, the nation could save 1 billion gallons of fuel per year."
