Solutionary Rail Substack: "Rail: A key solution to critical challenges." Great new substack to recommend which discusses  the role railroads could serve to help solve the climate crisis. Already rail is most efficient way to move freight on land, switching from trucks to rail reduces energy use 3- to 5-fold. "Electrifying rail and running it on renewable energy is the quickest track to eliminate climate pollution in long-distance freight and passenger transportation." Dedicated track for high-speed trains would make rail competitive with short-haul air travel. Reduction of diesel + particulate pollution from tires + brakes is another benefit. "The greatest obstacle to swift expansion [of renewables] is a lack of long distance lines to transmit electricity from remote solar and wind resources to population centers where demand is concentrated." 'Transmission can be quickly added along railroad right-of-ways under single ownerships and with traditional industrial uses, as opposed to multiple parcels where lines are often blocked by local opposition.' The more we switch modes from trucks to trains the longer our roads will last. Truck fees + fuel taxes are inadequate to reimburse the wear + tear of highways. For social justice, 'a new emphasis on rail can also bring new jobs and prosperity to rural communities and small cities suffering under depressed economic conditions and losing population to larger cities.' In many ways the US + Canada are the exceptions to the electrification of rail happening in much of the world. Unsurprisingly, what drives this discrepancy is that 'North American railroad ownership is increasingly concentrated in a few corporations driven by short-term profit over long-term investment.' They often run operations in ways that 'prevent Amtrak from offering reliable, on-time service.' something I have personally experienced. Railroads, 'reliant on fossil fuel traffic...have even joined climate denial organizations that seek to block climate action with disinformation.' We can + should do much better.
