Emissions study gives green light to rail

<p>Rail transport has come out a clear winner in greenhouse gas emissions when compared to road, according to a new study that compares the transport modes’ emissions in Australia’s interstate freight corridors.</p> <p>On a net tonne per kilometre basis, emissions from rail transport were 31-54% of semi-trailer trucks and 41-71% of B-Doubles, the Affleck Consulting study commissioned by Queensland Rail’s Network Access Group has revealed.</p> <p>The study indicated that for all corridors, greenhouse gas emissions were significantly reduced when freight was carried by intermodal rail transport,</p> <p>"The results show clearly that current trends for a greater share of interstate containerised freight to be carried by rail will result in improved environmental performance by Australia’s transport sector," Stephen Cantwell, general manager of QR Network Access said.</p> <p>Transport corridors in the study ranged in length from 600 km to more than 4,000 km, including links between all capital cities. </p> <p>The research compared the amount of carbon dioxide emitted when the same tonnage of containerised freight was moved by rail or direct road transport, including the emissions from the pick-up and delivery journeys.</p> <p>The Australian study used similar methodology to a recent study for the European International Road Transport Union, which found emissions to be lower for rail on 17 out of 19 routes compared to direct road transport.</p> <br />