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Transporting freight by rail benefits all Americans by providing a shipping option that is safe, economical, efficient and environmentally friendly. Railroads are leaders in conserving environmental resources and investing in new technology and solutions to make freight rail transportation "cleaner and greener" as well as safer.
American railroads relieved highway congestion by hauling 12 million truck trailers and containers in 2007. A single intermodal train takes upwards of 300 trucks (equivalent to 1,200 cars) off the highway. Rail intermodal services save wear and tear on highways, decrease air pollution and use less fuel. Although railroads account for more than 40 percent of the nation's intercity freight ton-miles1, according to the EPA, they account for just eight percent of total transportation-related nitrogen oxide emissions and four percent of transportation-related particulate emissions. This is because for every ton-mile, a typical highway tractor-trailer’s emissions are three times higher in particulates and NOx than a locomotive's.
Over the years, railroads have improved their fuel efficiency to provide lower costs to customers, reduce emissions and enhance U.S. energy independence. In 2007, one gallon of fuel moved one ton of freight by rail an average of 436 miles - roughly the distance from Boston to Baltimore and an 85 percent increase over 1980. Since 2000, Class I railroads have invested billions of dollars to introduce approximately 6,000 new and rebuilt locomotives. Railroads are aggressively implementing ways to save fuel by reducing locomotive idling and by using fast, inexpensive microprocessors that allow locomotives to switch from DC to AC motors – a process that enables two engines to do the work of three traditional engines. In addition, railroads are researching new technologies like improved track lubricants and an experimental switching locomotive technology that incorporates advanced battery systems to improve fuel efficiency.
Rail is the most economical way to move freight by land, which helps keep down the cost of products that consumers buy, and lowers the relative consumption of fossil fuels on a ton-mile basis. Freight rail provides U.S. businesses with an efficient and environmentally friendly shipping solution and offers substantial opportunities to reduce traffic congestion, use land responsibly, and decrease massive highway infrastructure costs.
1 Ton mile: a measure of output for freight transportation; reflects weight of shipment and the distance it is hauled; a multiplication of tons hauled by the distance traveled.
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