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Is the carbon footprint for train travel significantly lower than for plane travel?

sparsely 7y ago
Massively https://www.withouthotair.com/c20/page_128.shtml https://www.withouthotair.com/c20/page_128.shtml
keiferski 7y ago
About 5-10% of a flight, according to this: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.dw.com/en/trains-vs-planes-whats-the-real-cost-of-travel/a-45209552 https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.dw.com/en/trains-vs-planes-...
- kgwgk 7y ago
  I was going to say that these figures ignore infrastructure and necessarily underestimate emissions, but it seems that wouldn't change much the overall picture: https://uic.org/IMG/pdf/carbon_footprint_of_railway_infrastructure.pdf https://uic.org/IMG/pdf/carbon_footprint_of_railway_infrastr...
boudin 7y ago
I guess it depend if the train is running on electricity or diesel, but in France I had read an article in a french newspaper stating that the carbon footprint of train was 10% of the one from planes. This article seems to have the same numbers: https://www.seat61.com/CO2flights.htm https://www.seat61.com/CO2flights.htm
- toomuchtodo 7y ago
  France is primarily nuclear powered, so electric trains there have extremely low carbon impact. https://www.electricitymap.org/?wind=false&solar=false&page=country&remote=true&countryCode=FR https://www.electricitymap.org/?wind=false&solar=false&page=... (ElectricityMap.org: France)
  - boudin 7y ago
    Yes, it heavily depends on how the energy the trains runs on is produced.
    - brohee 7y ago
      Even with high on carbon emission electricity, the train benefits a lot from not carrying its fuel.
Freak_NL 7y ago
Yes, about ten times as low. See (for one): https://www.seat61.com/CO2flights.htm https://www.seat61.com/CO2flights.htm
gns24 7y ago
Yes. This graph from "Sustainable Energy – without the hot air" is a good summary: http://www.withouthotair.com/c20/page_128.shtml http://www.withouthotair.com/c20/page_128.shtml

Massively https://www.withouthotair.com/c20/page_128.shtml https://www.withouthotair.com/c20/page_128.shtml

About 5-10% of a flight, according to this: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.dw.com/en/trains-vs-planes-whats-the-real-cost-of-travel/a-45209552 https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.dw.com/en/trains-vs-planes-...

kgwgk 7y ago
I was going to say that these figures ignore infrastructure and necessarily underestimate emissions, but it seems that wouldn't change much the overall picture: https://uic.org/IMG/pdf/carbon_footprint_of_railway_infrastructure.pdf https://uic.org/IMG/pdf/carbon_footprint_of_railway_infrastr...

boudin 7y ago

I guess it depend if the train is running on electricity or diesel, but in France I had read an article in a french newspaper stating that the carbon footprint of train was 10% of the one from planes. This article seems to have the same numbers: https://www.seat61.com/CO2flights.htm https://www.seat61.com/CO2flights.htm

toomuchtodo 7y ago
France is primarily nuclear powered, so electric trains there have extremely low carbon impact. https://www.electricitymap.org/?wind=false&solar=false&page=country&remote=true&countryCode=FR https://www.electricitymap.org/?wind=false&solar=false&page=... (ElectricityMap.org: France)
- boudin 7y ago
  Yes, it heavily depends on how the energy the trains runs on is produced.
  - brohee 7y ago
    Even with high on carbon emission electricity, the train benefits a lot from not carrying its fuel.

Freak_NL 7y ago

Yes, about ten times as low. See (for one): https://www.seat61.com/CO2flights.htm https://www.seat61.com/CO2flights.htm

gns24 7y ago

Yes. This graph from "Sustainable Energy – without the hot air" is a good summary: http://www.withouthotair.com/c20/page_128.shtml http://www.withouthotair.com/c20/page_128.shtml