Are trains more energy efficient than trucks when traveling at the same speed?

Question

Are trains more energy efficient than trucks when traveling at the same speed?

Answer 1

the reasons others have mentioned above. i will give an example on which is more economic.

from Mumbai to Kochi ( places in India at a distance of 1400 km) there is a goods train running which will load all the loaded trucks on pannier cars and discharge them at various points en route. if the truck owners find it worth to hire a full train with 40 racks then it should be definitely much economical. remember that all the panniers were made for this particular trade!

Answer 2

The guy above hit the nail square on the head.

Any comparison that is to be made is in terms of "ton miles per gallon" of fuel consumed.  When taking into account cost for fuel, keep in mind highway diesel #2 is a different grade than that consumed by locomotive prime movers and is subject to highway use taxes.

It is an apples and oranges situation.  I must respectfully disagree with 2homer.  Some eastern railroads needed both financial assistance as well as government regulated acquisitions and/or divestitures to regain solvency for these carriers.  AMTRAK is, was and shall continue to be a bad idea. To suggest that trucks are more efficient than rail transportation for bulk commodities and inter-modal traffic is a misinformed answer, at best.  It is worth noting that, in most instances, trucking usually accounts for less than a 700 mile journey, tops, for any given commodity.

Trains only have to be started and accelerated until their inertia makes the TMPG skyrocket.

Answer 3

yes. only because they can cary 100 times as much cargo/people and therefore are more efficient. as far as MPG goes they are not, but LBS/MPH/GPH they do better

Answer 4

All things considered...fuel consumption, maintenance, salaries, costs of equipment, delays, costs for infrastructure, downtime and on and on...truck are much more efficient than trains moving cargo from port of entry to destination.  The government has had to step in numerous times in our history to keep the rails alive, never on the trucking system.  Did you know that AmTrak has NEVER made a dollar?  Been government subsidized since day one.  

May not be the answer you were searching for, but as a whole, the trucking system in much more efficient.

Answer 5

Yes, trains are much more efficient,  There is less friction with steel wheels on steel rails.  

It can also carry a bigger load using the same amount of fuel.  

Also, railroads usually avoid steeper hills which would require more fuel to overcome, but roads for trucks have to put up with more hills, and steeper hills than railroads.

Answer 6

The train is probably using alot more fuel, but, more efficient when you consider that they are hauling 100's of times more cargo or passengers than trucks or buses.



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Answer 7

Trucks perform a vital role in our economy, but their volume is increasing at an even faster rate than automobile travel. Trucks suffer as a result of overly-congested highways as much or more than anyone else. With truck traffic projected to rise nearly 80 percent by the year 2020, sufficient road space is simply not likely to be available to handle potential truck volume.

The Potential of Freight Rail: Our nation's freight railroads can reduce gridlock (for cars and trucks) by handling additional freight traffic that would otherwise move entirely on the highway.  A single intermodal train can haul up to 280 truck trailers (equivalent to more than 1,100 automobiles in traffic); other types of trains can carry as much freight as 500 trucks (the equivalent of approximately 2,000 automobiles in traffic).  This carrying capacity is an important potential resource in the battle against highway congestion.  Indeed, many trucking firms have already entered into cooperative partnerships with freight railroads to transport their trailers over long distances on intermodal trains.

Answer 8

I have to agree with those who said trains are more efficient to the point they move far more cargo than trucks. They in fact do use more energy per mile, but move far more weight and cargo.

I have to strongly disagree with the answer above. Amtrak for one, as a passenger railroad cannot be ever compared to freight hauling trucks. As a rule, passenger hauling is not profitable. Freight hauling can and easily is in most cases. For railroads in general, it is unfair to compare railroads to the trucking "system" because trucking companies don't contribute a major sum to the upkeep and construction of major highways that they use. Yours, mine, and everyone's taxes pays for the interstates that trucks use freely everyday. If rails were the same way, subsidized through taxes, then and only then would it be a fair comparison. Not only that, many truckers own their own rigs and pay for the maintenance. Again - not true for the railroad industry.

As a whole, comparing the rail vs. trucking industries is apples and oranges.