- Rail has historically been thought to be three to four times more efficient than truck.
- Online programs can measure just how much using rail reduces GHG emissions
- One way we can learn about emissions reductions via rail transport is through online carbon calculators.
Among the freight transportation modes, the railroads are considered to be a more environmentally friendly option for shippers or customers seeking to transport higher volumes of goods while emitting fewer carbon emissions. Indeed, freight railroads account for 0.5% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and just 1.9% of transportation-related GHG emissions, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR), quoting a statistic from the Environmental Protection Agency. Carbon calculators provided by AAR and a number of Class I railroads help us measure the efficiency of Rails over other means.
About Carbon Calculators
Carbon calculators use inputs such as the number of railcars on a train, distance traveled and commodity carried in order to estimate carbon emissions reductions. A carbon calculator can help deduce how we can reduce emissions along the supply chain. Norfolk Southern first developed its carbon calculator in 2008, but it started receiving requests in 2020 for more shipping emissions data. Josh Raglin, NS chief sustainability officer said “Our calculator helps our customers incorporate carbon into their logistics with a high degree of credibility.” NS’s current iteration includes fuel burn data from locomotives every 15 minutes, and then that burn data is applied to every railcar based on its weight. The burn data is tallied as the cars move across the network.
Canadian Pacific says its calculator uses tailored emissions computations and incorporates customer-specific shipping details to estimate route and commodity-specific GHG emissions. “CP recognizes that its ability to influence GHG emission reductions extends beyond its operations and across its suppliers and value chain network” CP said in a news release. “The carbon emissions calculator provides a framework to engage across the value chain to identify and collaborate on opportunities to reduce GHG emissions within supply chains.”
An Insight into Different Carbon Calculators
Union Pacific says its carbon emissions estimator, launched in 2011 and accessed more than 1,300 times in 2021, allows customers to calculate their potential carbon emissions savings from shipping with UP compared to moving goods by truck. The western U.S. railroad also provides customers with annual emissions savings estimates, when requested.
CSX says it created its online carbon calculator in 2008 to measure the carbon emissions savings of specific rail shipments and provide comparative data among transportation choices. “The calculator compares the carbon emissions generated by freight rail to those of long-haul trucks over similar routes” Raghu Chatrathi, CSX senior director of public safety, health and environment. According to CSX, “ The calculator not only helps our customers make smart supply chain decisions, it also helps educate consumers about the path items take to get to store shelves or their front door…”
While AAR says its carbon calculator is meant for informational purposes only, it allows shippers to see how much GHG emissions could be reduced and how many trucks could be taken off the road. Inputs for the calculator include the number of railcars on a train, the route the train would take and what commodity the train would carry. AAR said it uses averages derived from industry data, noting that actual emissions associated with a specific train may vary depending on the type and number of locomotives as well as other unique characteristics of the railroad, commodity and route.
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Source: FreightWaves
