Research Reports |
Title: | Analysis of Railroad Energy Efficiency in the United States |
Authors: | Denver Tolliver, Pan Lu, and Douglas Benson |
University: | North Dakota State University |
Publication Date: | May 2013 |
Report #: | MPC-13-250 |
Project #: | MPC-337 |
TRID #: | 01481004 |
Keywords: | alternatives analysis, commodities by type, energy consumption, freight transportation, fuel consumption, mathematical models, railroads, railroad trains, trucks, waterways |
Type: | Research Report – MPC Publications |
The purpose of this study is to provide information about railroad fuel efficiency that may be useful in evaluating transportation energy policies and assessing the sustainability of potential projects. The specific objectives are to (1) develop railroad energy efficiency models that describe differences in fuel economy among classes of trains and commodities; (2) apply these models to a wide range of movements to estimate fuel efficiency ratings for coal, grain, iron ore, food products, and other key commodities; (3) develop comparable procedures for estimating truck and waterway fuel consumption; and (4) compare rail, truck, and waterway energy efficiencies. The focus on railroads in this study is appropriate, since many of the alternatives to highway investment involve railroad transportation or multimodal options.
Tolliver, Denver, Pan Lu, and Douglas Benson. Analysis of Railroad Energy Efficiency in the United States, MPC-13-250. North Dakota State University - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, Fargo: Mountain-Plains Consortium, 2013.