Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions, Commercial  -  November 2, 2018

BNSF Railway reports efficiency progress

BNSF Railway announced its total energy use has been reduced by 5.3% since 2014, with major reductions coming from locomotive diesel consumption. While GHG intensity posted a slight uptick of 0.5% from 2016 to 2017 – attributed to a change in business mix and consumer trends - the company achieved an overall decrease of approximately 3.5% over the past decade.

These results were presented with the release of the company’s latest Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report, which noted, "BNSF is focused on measures that improve the fuel efficiency of our locomotives and reduce the emissions that affect our environment."

Approximately half of all BNSF freight volumes are intermodal shipments carrying consumer goods, The report noted that intermodal shipping with trains and trucks offers significant environmental benefits versus shipping exclusively over the road: “On average, rail is more than three times as fuel efficient as transportation by truck, a key reason rail is by far the most environmentally preferred mode of long-distance land freight transportation.” The report estimates that one BNSF intermodal train removes up to several hundred long-haul trucks from the nation’s highways. Additionally, BNSF customers reduced their total carbon emissions by 37.5M metric tons in 2017 by shipping with BNSF instead of moving freight entirely over the road.

The report states that BNSF is committed to effectively managing energy consumption in their offices, rail yards, intermodal hubs and other facilities. Electricity is the main component of energy use at their  facilities, followed by natural gas and propane; in 2017, these three combined to account for more than 99% of the total energy used at BNSF facilities, with other fossil fuels burned in boilers, generators and space heaters accounting for the remainder, an energy profile has been fairly consistent in recent years, with minor fluctuations due to weather, climatic conditions, volume and other factors such as the installation of more efficient energy systems and using equipment more efficiently.