Freight Rail Works | For the Environment

Lower fuel consumption, fewer greenhouse gas emissions and less pollution prove that railroads are the environmentally friendly way to move freight.

Saving fuel to save energy

A freight train can move one ton of freight 457 miles on a single gallon of fuel. Our fuel efficiency has increased by 94% since 1980. That's not all. We have nearly doubled the amount of freight we can haul using the same amount of fuel. Freight rail is working to reduce our energy demand, so that America can reduce its dependency on foreign oil.

But we don't think good is good enough. We look to cut fuel consumption even further. We have invested billions of dollars in thousands of new, more fuel-efficient locomotives and on overhauling older units to make them more fuel-efficient. Research is underway on hybrid long-haul locomotives. Railroads use sophisticated on-board monitoring systems to gather and evaluate information to provide engineers with real-time “coaching” and calculate the speed that maximizes fuel savings. Plus, we use innovative freight-car and locomotive designs to save fuel.

America could save more fuel by shipping more by train. If just 10% of the long-haul freight currently moving on our crowded highways were diverted to rail, annual fuel savings would exceed 1 billion gallons. That's freight rail, at work.

Reducing pollution to help us breathe easier

Using freight rail offers a simple, inexpensive and immediate way to meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Railroads are, on average, nearly four times more fuel-efficient than trucks. That means that moving freight by rail instead of truck reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 75%, on average.

If just 10% of long-haul freight now moving by truck moved by rail instead, annual greenhouse gas emissions would fall by more than 12 million tons. That's equivalent to taking 2 million cars off the road or planting 280 million trees.

Carbon Calculator

Keeping America green and clean

Freight railroads are committed to preserving the beauty and natural resources of America and are being recognized for this dedication. In 2009, BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific were all named to Newsweek's “Greenest Companies” list for transportation and aerospace companies. Newsweek highlighted the railroads' initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as employing new locomotive technologies, electric cranes, and natural gas-powered locomotives and trucks and efforts to phase-out older locomotives. Plus all Class I railroads have joined the Environmental Protection Agency's Smart Way Transport Partnership, a voluntary partnership aimed at improving fuel efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.