[Peakoil] Trains vs trucks

[Alex P]

At the Sustainable Transport presentation which Leigh and I went to last 
night the presenter Faye Powell mentioned that studies had shown trains 
were no greener for freight than trucks.

Apparently when she worked for National Rail they were going to do a big 
advertising campaign about how green trains were but a study showed the 
difference in emissions slightly favoured trucks! So the ad campaign was 
pulled.

She also pointed to the squealing noise of train wheels as evidence that 
the efficiency gains of trains vs trucks using tyres are not great. Noise 
is a problem in using rail in cities.

However I'd like to see the details of all this reasoning. I wonder if the 
National Rail study is available?

Greenhouse aside, if the price of oil goes up, doesn't that favour 
electrified rail? And if bitumen is expensive, aren't steel rails cheaper 
to maintain?

And I've sent another version of the letter to the Canberra Times.

Alex
O4O4873828

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