Rail

On average, rail requires 12 times less energy and emits 7-11 times less GHGs per passenger-km travelled than private vehicles and airplanes, making it the most efficient mode of motorised passenger transport. Aside from shipping, freight rail is the most energy-efficient and least carbon-intensive way to transport goods.

The low energy and CO2 intensities of rail transport make promoting rail a promising strategy to diversify energy sources and reduce emissions. However, like all other transport infrastructure, rail investment is expensive. High passenger or freight throughput (i.e. high infrastructure utilisation) is necessary for a rail construction project to pay off, both economically and environmentally.

In contexts where rail makes sense, shifting passenger and freight services from more intensive modes such as cars, trucks and airplanes can substantially reduce net energy use and emissions and make global climate commitments more achievable. Furthermore, as many conventional rail services and essentially all urban and high-speed rail networks are electric, rail can help diversify transport away from reliance on oil.

Although rail is already the most electrified transport subsector, now all new tracks on high-throughput corridors will have to be electric to achieve the Net Zero pathway. On rail lines where throughput is too low to make electrification economically viable, hydrogen or battery electric trains coupled with partial track electrification and well-located charging points will need to replace diesel trains.

Last updated Jan 7, 2022