Trains

Railroads: A nineteenth century technology that can save 21st century resources

Over the past few months, the gas crisis has inspired an endless parade of suggestions for reducing America's dependence on foreign oil. From opening offshore drilling to distilling ethanol to fast-tracking a fuel-cell car program, there has been no lack of plans for cutting oil imports. Ironically, while these impressive, innovative solutions have crowded the news, relatively little attention has been paid to one of America's most energy efficient forms of shipping and transportation: railways.

Every day, tons of goods are moved across the United States. Most of this shipping is done by truck, resulting in the consumption of millions of gallons of fuel and the release of thousands of tons of exhaust. While container shipping and America's vast network of highways make trucking the simplest form of shipping, it is also among the most expensive.

One solution to this problem would be the increased use of rail shipping. According to the Association of American Railroads, U.S. railroads use, on average, only one gallon of fuel to move a ton of freight over 436 miles. This represents an 85% increase in efficiency since 1980, and is, according to AAR President Edward R. Hamberger, "three or four times more fuel efficient than trucks." Other sources claim that the difference is even more dramatic; Treehugger, for example, states that trucks can move a ton of freight only 59 miles on a gallon of gas, which would make railroads seven times more fuel efficient than trucks. Regardless, Hamberger goes on to note that "if just 10% of the freight currently moving by truck went instead by rail, the nation could save one billion gallons of fuel by year."

With that in mind, it seems mind-boggling that the vast majority of the United States' goods aren't moved by rail. According to Ted Michon, a noted rail consultant,"the class one railroads - and there are five of them - are currently working at or over capacity." Any expansion of operations will require a significant investment in locomotives, rail yards, and track. In the case of locomotives, this means placing orders several months ahead of time, in the hopes that the demand for increased rail service will remain consistent. Similarly, laying track and building rail yards also requires considerable advance planning. Unfortunately, fluctuations in the price of oil could alter consumer demand, undermining the cost-effectiveness of rail shipping.

Ultimately, the biggest roadblock to more widespread rail usage is America's lack of a long-term transportation policy. Unfortunately, as Michon notes, "Every major change in transportation policy has been caused by a crisis." This certainly is true of major expenditures in highways and airports; presumably, it will also be played out in the matter of rail infrastructure. While there isn't much that the average citizen can do to increase rail usage, it's worth paying attention to the rhetoric being employed by the major parties as we get closer to the next Presidential election. When political candidates speak out against rail infrastructure, they are, effectively, endorsing a more expensive and wasteful transportation policy!


by Bruce Watson Over the past few months, the gas crisis has inspired an endless parade of suggestions for reducing America's dependence on forei... more

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