Double Stack Freight Trains 5X More Efficient Than Trucks

It's not earth shattering news, or a new idea, but I have noticed in the last 3-4 months in particular that there has been a huge increase in the amount of double stack freight trains going down the railways in Texas, and was wondering if anyone else had noticed the same thing in their states?

I did a little research on the net and found these articles:

"Ohio to get U.S. rail aid for double-stacked trains"
Friday, December 17, 2010 06:02 AM
"U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said an agreement with the Ohio Rail Development Commission means that work can begin on rail improvements that will allow trains to carry more cargo from Ohio through the use of double-stacked trains. LaHood said yesterday that the $98 million in stimulus funds granted to the National Gateway Freight Rail Project will allow the trains to move freely from northwestern Ohio through Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. LaHood said use of double-stacked containers will make the rail corridors a cost-effective option for major shippers at ports. The new project also is expected to help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and highway use, shorten transport times and expand access to rail services."

Source: www.dispatchpolitics.com... sid=101

and this:

"In a newly released report, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) finds that double stack freight rail transportation is up to five times more efficient than motor carrier transportation. The FRA’s “Comparative Evaluation of Rail and Truck Fuel Efficiency on Competitive Corridors” underscores the advantages of projects such as the National Gateway. The National Gateway is a public-private partnership seeking to create a state-of-the-art, double-stack cleared rail corridor between East Coast sea ports and Midwest distribution centers. According to the FRA report, double-stack trains tend to be more fuel efficient than other types of trains. The study also cites increased efficiency, technology improvements and improved railcar designs (Federal Railroad Administration, 2009)."

Source: jagadees.wordpress.com...

and this:

May 29, 2010
"Tunnels roofs being raised for double-stack rail cars"
"Workers chip away at the ceiling of a tunnel that was built in 1904 near Kermit, W.Va.Advertiser
NEAR KERMIT, W.Va. -- Floodlights glared deep in a century-old tunnel under an Appalachian hillside. An excavator poked at the arched ceiling like a pterodactyl. Chunks of sandstone shattered and fell thunderously into an empty rail car. Work has gone on like this for nearly a year. Crews begin at 2 a.m. and call it a day about noon"......

Source: wvgazette.com...

and then found this link on the National Gateway Freightway Project:

www.nationalgateway.org...

which contains basic data about the project:

"About National Gateway
The National Gateway will create jobs, help grow the nation’s economy, reduce carbon emissions and improve the flow of freight throughout our nation. When complete, the National Gateway will better connect Mid Atlantic seaports to consumers and manufacturing centers in the Midwest, allowing manufacturers to receive raw materials and distribute finished goods to consumers in a more efficient and less costly manner. In order to realize the economic and environmental benefits of double-stack trains, tunnels and clearances under bridges must be raised to accommodate the height of freight containers stacked two high.The National Gateway will address several key freight rail corridors as vital links between Mid Atlantic seaports and key Midwest distribution points and population centers. For clarity, these rail corridors are often informally named for parallel Interstate highways"


Anyways, I found it interesting. Any thoughts or comments?

I have a friend that works at Motive Power, one of the few locomotive companies left in America, and he gave me similar quotes about the efficiency of locomotive as compared to cost(gas, labor, etc) in comparison to Semis. The cost savings is huge and I almost want to say he said the efficiency is even greater than 5X.

reply to post by 11PB11


Maybe this push for efficiency in freight transportation towards more use of railway cars is one of the reasons we have not heard any protests recently from the truckers over the price of diesel which seems to be a lot higher than regular unleaded?

Anyways, thanks for your comment.