Trains saving more fuel

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has released a study showing vast improvements in freight rail fuel efficiency over the last two decades, approximately 22 percent between 1990 and 2006.

The FRA said several factors point to the reasons for rail’s fuel efficiency, including the improvement in diesel-electric locomotives, the increased use of double stack trains, track and signal improvements and longer trains.

The complete study can be found at www.fra.dot.gov/Downloads/Comparative_Evaluation_Rail_Truck_Fuel_Efficiency.pdf.

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