United States Department of Transportation
i
Sustainable Freight Infrastructure to Meet Climate and Air Quality Goals
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2012-02-02
[PDF-11.80 MB]
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Abstract:This report examines the potential for freight modal shift from truck-to-rail in the upper Midwestern U.S. to improve air quality and reduce CO2 emissions. Two scenarios were generated, one focusing on intra-regional freight movements within the Midwest and the second on through-freight movements into, out of, and through the region. Freight truck and rail emissions inventories were generated corresponding to each scenario and input to a regional air quality model (CMAQ). Results showed the intra-regional scenario had little impact on Midwest air quality, however the through-freight scenario greatly reduced concentrations of NO2 and EC near roadways (up to 27% for NO2 and up to 16% for EC), with corresponding increases near railways. The through-freight scenario also reduced CO2 emissions 31% compared to baseline trucking. Reductions in PM2.5 and O3 were modest, up to 3%. We conclude that while truck-to-rail modal shift does improve regional air quality, the motivation for advocating rail over truck lies principally in reduced human exposure to near-roadway pollution, as well as reduction of carbon emissions.
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