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17
Trains and the
Environment
A vibrant national rail system creates a healthy
flow of commerce, decreases carbon emissions and
reduces U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
also reduces roadway
congestion and improves passenger vehicle safety.
Moving one ton of freight by rail rather than
exclusively by truck produces 75 percent less
greenhouse gas emissions. On average, railroads are
four times more fuel-efficient than trucks. A BNSF
train can move one ton of freight, on average,
500 miles on a single gallon of diesel fuel. If
10 percent of the long-distance freight currently
moved by truck switched to rail, fuel savings would
exceed one billion gallons per year.