{"id":332475,"date":"2025-12-18T19:48:49","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T09:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=68203"},"modified":"2025-12-18T19:48:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T09:48:49","slug":"american-railways-cannot-boast-about-sustainability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=332475","title":{"rendered":"American railways cannot boast about sustainability"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is plenty of reason for European rail freight to look across the Atlantic with a sense of jealousy. The American counterparts run larger, heavier trains and have their own freight-focused rail networks at their disposal. They do not struggle financially as the Europeans do. Yet, they fall short in another area: sustainability.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>The American operator BNSF Railway highlights the sustainable nature of rail transportation, points out Reuters. \u201cWhen you see our orange locomotives\u2019 and freight cars\u2019 steel wheels moving on steel rails, think green\u201d, BNSF says about itself.<\/p>\n

However, that characterisation is rather deceptive: BNSF and other rail freight operators in the US emit large amounts of pollutants. The American rail industry produced more nitrogen oxide, the primary component of smog, than all coal-fired power plants in the USA combined, according to Reuters calculations (485,000 tonnes versus 452,000 tonnes). To illustrate, in 2023, coal power plants generated 16.2% of all electricity in the States.<\/p>\n

Reuters says that locomotive pollution causes an estimated 48 billion dollars in healthcare costs and 3,100 premature deaths annually in the United States, citing the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s Co-Benefits Risk Assessment tool.<\/p>\n

Diesel-only<\/h2>\n

The underlying reason for this level of pollution is that American rail freight companies run 100% on diesel locomotives. That is a stark difference compared to other parts of the world, including Europe, where electrification is much more prevalent and expanding. The drive to find more energy-efficient traction is evidently not as much of a concern to American companies.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the average age of the American locomotive fleet has gone up significantly, from 20 years in 2009 to 28 years currently. That does not help in reducing pollution. Despite the introduction of new locomotive standards by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2008, the railway companies have made little effort to modernise their fleet. Instead, they have opted to slow down new locomotive purchases.<\/p>\n