My policy position on transport includes that the State Government has a role to play in encouraging transport methods which not only minimise greenhouse emissions, but also optimise safety and minimise maintenance costs.
The ABC cites the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) as saying freight on rail produces 16 times less carbon pollution than road freight. Some people don’t care about carbon pollution, but studies have also shown that both accident related and maintenance costs are lower for railways than for roads.
The surface of a road is granular and the wheels of a track connect directly with the individual grains. No matter how good the glue, the forces of acceleration and deceleration will quickly take their toll.
A railway bed is granular, but the wheels of a train sit on iron rails which spread the load so effectively that you don’t even need to seal the base. The acceleration and deceleration of a train is more gentle than that of a truck, and the corners on a railway are less sharp than those on a road.
Railways are cheaper to maintain than trucks; transporting freight by rail is safer than using roads; and freight trains are less polluting that trucks.
It’s better by rail.
