According to the EPA, freight railroads contribute only 2% to transportation-related GHG emissions while trucks contribute 23%.
Freight railroads are clearly the most fuel-efficient way to move freight over land. One train can move nearly 500 tons on one gallon of fuel while also removing hundreds of trucks off the highway. Moving freight by rail instead of truck lowers GHG emissions by up to 75% on average.
Despite its small share of transportation-related GHG emission, freight rail has made significant strides in decarbonization. Investments in fuel-efficient locomotives, aerodynamic railcars, fuel management systems, and automated gate systems have all contributed to reduce emissions. Railroads are also exploring alternative fuels and hybrid propulsion technologies for locomotives, as well as employing hybrid and electric cranes to further mitigate environmental impact. These efforts underscore the industry’s commitment to sustainability.
Passenger rail is the least emissions-intensive mode of transportation. Emissions are on average ⅕ of those of air travel per passenger per kilometer, and are even lower from electrified rail, like the fully electrified Northeast Corridor line of Amtrak. As CO2 emissions from diesel rail have increased by 0.6% every year on average over the past two decades, further decarbonizing railways through electrification, batteries, and alternative fuel will be crucial.
Developing high-speed rail networks (which over 20 countries have done) is one of the best ways to reduce short and medium-haul flights.
Unfortunately, even as freight rail companies have emphasized the environmental benefits of rail transportation, behind the scenes they have simultaneously been fueling climate denialism and blocking decarbonization efforts. The Atlantic found that the four largest freight railroads in the U.S. have funded climate change denial since the beginning, investing millions in groups that reject major reports and are members of a pro-coal trade association that claims carbon dioxide is “as much as 400 times more beneficial to humanity than harmful.” Electrification of passenger rail like Amtrak has also been delayed by the freight companies who own the tracks.
The United States lags behind the rest of the world in electrification: India has electrified 85% of its heavy rail, China is at 72%, Europe is at 60% and the entire Trans-Siberian Railroad is electrified. It is harder to make the switch in the U.S. where railroads are privately owned.
In the summer of 2024, as part of the California Climate Investments initiative, the Caltrain in the Bay Area replaced all its diesel trains with electric trains. A study found that the change reduced exposure to black carbon by almost 90%, cutting excess cancer deaths by 51 per 1 million people.
In July 2025, the Trump administration pulled $4 billion in federal funding for California’s high speed rail project. In response, Governor Gavin Newsom filed a lawsuit to challenge the termination, alleging it was politically motivated.
Other decarbonization technologies include alternative fuel, like hydrogen fuel cell trains, battery electric trains, hyperloop, and magnetic levitation rail. Germany has had 14 operating hydrogen trains since 2022, France began testing hydrogen trains in 2025, and in 2025 the first zero-emission passenger train in North America debuted in California.
CREDIT: IEA
