Tracking report
Rail
Tracking progress 2020
Rail
Urban and high-speed rail infrastructures have scaled up rapidly over the past decade, laying the foundation for convenient, low-emissions transport within and between cities.
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The low energy and CO2 intensities of rail transport make promoting rail a promising strategy to diversify energy sources and reduce emissions. However, like all other transport infrastructure, rail investment is expensive. High passenger or freight throughput (i.e. high infrastructure utilisation) is necessary for a rail construction project to pay off, both economically and environmentally.
In contexts where rail makes sense, shifting passenger and freight services from more intensive modes such as cars, trucks and airplanes can substantially reduce net energy use and emissions and make global climate commitments more achievable. Furthermore, as many conventional rail services and essentially all urban and high-speed rail networks are electric, rail can help diversify transport away from reliance on oil.
China is leading the way in building rail, with unprecedented expansion in high-speed rail at a rate more than twice as fast as domestic aviation. Further rail investments in India and South East Asia in particular can help get the transport sector on track.
In contexts where rail makes sense, shifting passenger and freight services from more intensive modes such as cars, trucks and airplanes can substantially reduce net energy use and emissions and make global climate commitments more achievable. Furthermore, as many conventional rail services and essentially all urban and high-speed rail networks are electric, rail can help diversify transport away from reliance on oil.
China is leading the way in building rail, with unprecedented expansion in high-speed rail at a rate more than twice as fast as domestic aviation. Further rail investments in India and South East Asia in particular can help get the transport sector on track.
Last updated Jun 16, 2020
Key findings
GHG intensity of passenger transport modes, 2019
OpenRail is one of the most energy-efficient transport modes
Rail is one of the most energy-efficient transport modes, responsible for 9% of global motorised passenger movement and 7% of freight but only 3% of transport energy use. Urban and high-speed rail infrastructure has expanded rapidly over the past decade, laying the foundation for convenient, low-emissions transport within and between cities. China is leading the way in deploying high-speed rail with unprecedented expansion: passenger activity increased about 13% in 2019, more than twice that of domestic aviation. Further rail investments in India and Southeast Asia in particular can help get the transport sector on track with the SDS by displacing more emissions-intensive modes such as cars, trucks and airplanes.
Analysis
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Produced in collaboration with the Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer
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