Environmental Impact

Short lines are proud to be part of the U.S. freight rail network – the most environmentally-friendly way to move freight over land.

Railroads account for roughly 40% of U.S. long- distance freight volume but account for just 2.1% of transportation-related emissions.* If 10% of the freight shipped today by the largest trucks were moved by rail, greenhouse gas emissions would fall more than 17 million tons annually or the equivalent of removing 3.35 million cars from the road. A ton of freight moving by rail instead of truck reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 75%.**

As an example, the Lancaster & Chester Railroad ships 281,500 tons of soybeans, soy meal and soybean oil a year between the South Carolina cities of Chester, Fort Lawn and Kershaw. That move uses an average of 80,000 gallons of fuel per year. A comparable truck move would use over 320,000 gallons of fuel, and add to the congestion around cities, and wear and tear on highways and rural roads that taxpayers must pay for. This impact is multiplied thousands of times each day across the United States.

The Pacific Harbor Line Railroad moves 5,000 tons of interchange traffic daily from Wilmington to Long Beach, CA. That move uses an average of 36,500 gallons of fuel per year. A comparable truck move would use 521,220 gallons of fuel.

R.J. Corman’s Memphis Line (RJCM) and Central Kentucky Lines (RJCC) have streamlined rail service for customers Novelis and Logan Aluminum, enabling easy shipping for their aluminum products. RJCM and RJCC provide direct rail service between the companies, and intra-plant switching services at product origin and destination. Altogether, R.J. Corman is able to offer Novelis and Logan Aluminum quality service while moving the equivalent of 29,900 truckloads annually. This results in an approximately 14,784-ton reduction in greenhouse gas emissions each year.

Already the leader in fuel-efficient surface transportation, the railroad industry is now making every effort to be a part of the solution to improving the environment, and the short line industry is all in on a variety of fronts.

Read ASLRRA’s November 19, 2021 letter to Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg, expressing support of the Administration’s Climate Action Plan.

Improving the Environmental Impact through Asset Upgrades, Technology and Behavior

Short lines are already efficient in the movement of freight from a fossil fuel-use standpoint. ASLRRA has joined the freight rail industry in supporting initiatives that further the reduction in environmental impact in a number of ways.

The rail industry is actively reducing its environmental impact through support of regulations such as the recent Federal Railroad Administration’s January 15, 2021, notice of proposed rulemaking to revise 49 C.F.R. Part 232 to address the use of electronic air brake slips (“eABS”) to track mechanical inspections and freight car mileage, which reduced the amount of time engines must spend idling during brake checks.

Short line railroads are reducing their environmental footprint via operational practices including:

• upgrading track which makes movement more efficient,
• retro-fitting or replacing locomotives to improve emissions,
• making changes in behavior of employees, and processes, and
• adopting new technology that will further reduce its environmental impact.

Click the green button below to learn more about what ASLRRA members are doing on their railroads.

Short Line Examples of Environmental Initiatives

ASLRRA advocates on behalf of the short line industry with regulating bodies and the U.S. Congress, ensuring that they understand our positive environmental footprint and the impact of rules and legislation on the industry.

 

 

 

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