If trucks had been used to ship the 156,900 tons of wheat that the grain train has carried to Columbia River and Puget Sound ports, it would have added 4,482 heavy truck loads to Washington State highways They reduce highway repair and maintenance costs. It is estimated that the grain carried in a single grain train would require 540 tractor-trailer combinations if shipped by highway. Tractor-trailers cause significant road damage, requiring expensive repairs and maintenance. With today's higher gasoline costs, the savings are even more significant. These lines are important because they handle local traffic that, if not moved by the railroads, would either move by truck over state and local roads or would cease to move which could cause businesses to close or relocate.
Trains typically carry heavier weights using much less fuel than trucks do.
This is because the friction involved in moving steel wheel vehicles on steel rails is about a tenth of that involved in moving rubber-tired vehicles on pavement. Consequently, the energy required to move the same weight is much less on rails than on pavement. The end result is that far less energy is consumed in shipping by rail than by truck, which means that shipping by rail generates less pollution, thus preserving air quality. Rail serves as an alternative shipping mode. This option could become increasingly important in the future if barge traffic on the Columbia River is affected by draw downs to save endangered salmon runs.