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| INTERCITY       FREIGHT AND PASSENGER RAIL:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |  |
| **Energy**

Railroads               are fuel efficient, requiring less energy to move each passenger               or ton of freight than virtually****any other mode, because:
-   Rigidity                 of a steel wheel on steel rail results in a low rolling resistance                 as compared to rubber-tired vehicles;  
-   Relatively                 flat roadbeds greatly reduce grade resistance (railroad grade                 changes are minimized, and energy expended to lift a train vertically                 can be recaptured as the train descends a grade); and  
-   Rail                 is currently the only transportation mode capable of large scale                 utilization of electric power for propulsion (power produced from                 a variety of non-petroleum sources).� Electrified rail service                 daily transports thousands of passengers in the Northeast and                 Midwest.  

Rail has               demonstrated significantly lower energy consumption rates than other               transportation modes in both passenger and freight service.� According               to the 1996 National Transportation Statistics report of the Department               of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, in 1993,               the energy consumed in moving an Amtrak passenger averaged 1,995               British thermal units (Btu) per passenger-mile, about 58 percent               of the energy required for the average automobile passenger (3,415               Btu per passenger-mile) and 45 percent of the Btu per-passenger-mile               used by the average domestic airline passenger (4,446).

A 1991 study               performed for the Federal Railroad Administration analyzed relative               freight rail and truck fuel efficiency.� The study, ARail               vs. Truck Fuel Efficiency@,               which was designed to compare fuel use for a variety of route/commodity               combinations where rail and truck are competitive, found that rail               achieved higher ton-miles per gallon than trucks, carrying similar               commodities over 32 routes studied.� Using computer simulations,               the ratio of truck fuel use to rail fuel use ranged from 1.40 to               5.61 for these Class I railroad scenarios.� For routes less than               100 miles, comparing regional/local rail and truck service, trucks               used from 4.03 to 9.00 times more fuel than rail.� As this study               notes, it is futile to develop a single number to describe rail               energy intensiveness.� Specific routes, equipment, and loads must               be considered, as well as fuel used in rail terminal operations               and for drayage to and from the rail line.� However, some rough               comparisons have been made.� For example, according to the U.S.               Department of Energy=s 1995 Transportation Energy Data Book, in 1993 rail moved               39 percent of U.S. freight ton-miles carried by truck, rail, and               water yet consumed less than 12 percent of the total energy consumption               required for movement of freight by these modes. 

**Land Use**

Transportation               facilities of all types require the dedication of substantial acreage,               and expansion of facilities to relieve congestion or accommodate               increased volumes of freight and passengers can be extremely expensive.�               For example, in Los Angeles, California, the Century Freeway, a               17.3 mile eight-lane project to add capacity and relieve congestion,               cost $2.2 billion ($128 million per mile -- including mitigation               costs).� In contrast, rail service can often expand within existing               rights-of-way without additional land acquisition.� Rail is also               less land-intensive than highways, airports and related facilities,               requiring less space to carry more passengers and freight.

**Climate Change and               Environmental Forecasting**

The prospect               of global warming caused by an increase in greenhouse gas emissions               has become a major policy issue during the last decade.� The transportation               sector is currently responsible for approximately 26% of greenhouse               gas emissions in the United States and is expected to be one of               the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the foreseeable               future, due to increased demand for motor gasoline, jet fuel, and               diesel fuel.� Therefore, in May 1999, DOT announced the formation               of its Center for Climate Change and Environmental Forecasting.�               The DOT Center is dedicated to fostering awareness of the potential               links between transportation and global climate change, and to formulating               policy options to deal with the challenges of these links. 

The Center               is the focal point in the DOT of technical expertise on transportation               and climate change. Through strategic research, policy analysis,               partnerships and outreach, the Center creates comprehensive and               multi‑modal approaches to reduce transportation‑related               greenhouse gases and to mitigate the effects of global climate change               on the transportation network.� The Center=s               research projects include an assessment of the impacts of climate               change upon transportation operations and infrastructure, a survey               of available transportation greenhouse gas data and models� that               would aid analysis of new transportation policies or market changes               on GHG emissions, and a review of activities being undertaken by               states and localities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through               transportation planning.

For further               information see the Center's website at http://www.dot.gov/climate

Site         Index

Section         1.

Section         2.

Section         3.Section 4.Surface Transportation         ProgramTIFIANCPD and CBI ProgramsTransportation Enhancements         Program

Section         5.Air QualityEnergy**TEA-21         Role in Transportation and the Environment**

Section         6.�

Appendix         1.        Appendix 2.        Appendix 3.

 

 
   
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