Environmentally Conscious Auto Shippers Use Rail To Reduce Their Carbon Footprint October 25, 2010

A Union Pacific Company Cleaner Than You Think If your image of a freight train is a rusty, dilapidated string of freight, coal and flat cars being pulled over a rickety patchwork of rails by a steam-powered, smoke-belching and soot-spewing iron horse, you’re in for a rude awakening. Operating on a network of more than 140,000 miles of rail spanning from coast to coast, today’s trains are clean, green and the most environmentally friendly way to move freight. On average, trains are four times more fuel efficient than trucks. Besides being a more economical option, they also help reduce pollution, lower greenhouse gas emissions and fight highway gridlock.

A Union Pacific Company Four Times More Fuel Efficient According to the Federal Railroad Administration, depending on the commodity carried and the length of the haul, trains are up to four times more fuel efficient than trucks. Depending on the vehicle model, automotive railcars carry up to 50 percent more cars than a truck transporter, meaning more efficient shipping and reduced costs. For long distance shipments over 500 miles, transporting a car by train can save auto shippers percent in freight charges compared to direct truck.

A Union Pacific Company New Fuel-Saving & Environmentally- Friendly Technologies More and more auto dealers are beginning to recognize the efficiency of rail transportation. Railroads are constantly piloting new, fuel-saving and environmentally-friendly technologies. Over the past decade they’ve replaced thousands of older locomotives with new, energy-efficient diesel-electrics, hybrids and Gensets (Generator-Set switchers pioneered by Union Pacific) which have several independent engines that can turn on and off depending on the need. –Railroads also continue to introduce innovative new technologies such as intelligent computer systems that calculate the most fuel efficient speed for a train and advanced emission control systems that capture and treat diesel-related emissions before they can be released into the air.

A Union Pacific Company Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions Auto dealers who are concerned about their “carbon footprint” should consider rail for their next long distance auto shipment. Because greenhouse gas emissions are directly related to fuel consumption, moving freight by train instead of by truck reduces greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 75 percent. If just 10 percent of long-distance freight now moved by truck was moved by train instead, annual greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by as much as 12 million tons. That’s equivalent to taking 2 million cars off the road or planting 280 million trees. The American Association of Railroads provides a carbon calculator that estimates the amount of C0 2 that auto dealers can prevent from entering the environment by switching to rail. In comparison, they’ll show you how many trees would need to be planted to have the same effect.carbon calculator

A Union Pacific Company Less Highway Gridlock A single freight train can carry the load of 280 or more trucks. That’s equivalent to taking more than 1,100 cars off our already overcrowded highways. In addition to reducing gridlock, shifting freight from trucks to rail reduces the pressure to build costly new roads and also helps cut the cost of maintaining the roads we already have.

A Union Pacific Company Investing in America Freight railroads have invested more than $440 billion since 1980 to maintain and improve their tracks, bridges, tunnels, locomotives, freight cars and other infrastructure and equipment. They’re currently funding research at major universities to make rail freight more efficient through the use of biofuels and replacing diesel power plants with fuel cells, and investigating ways to incorporate new and exotic materials to make locomotive components tougher, more efficient and more aerodynamic. Auto manufacturers already know that the secret to economical and environmentally-friendly auto transport lies with the nation’s railroads. Over 70 percent of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. move to market safely transported in fully enclosed railcars. As more auto dealers expand their used car trading zones using the internet, long distance rail transport will help them save money and save the environment at the same time.

A Union Pacific Company Investing in America cont. The health of the U.S. economy rides heavily on the rail freight industry. As today’s railroads continue to become cleaner, greener and more environmentally- friendly, rail is becoming an even smarter choice for America, now and in the future.

A Union Pacific Company About We are a Union Pacific Company –Trusted name & leader in transportation –Delivering over 6 million cars annually We deliver autos nationwide –Speedy truck delivery –Economical and green rail options We make it easy to ship cars! –Easy-to-use, no hassle, online –One call, we do it all Read entire glossary at