RAC releases 2020 rail performance report

The Railway Association of Canada last week released the 2020 Locomotive Emissions Monitoring (LEM) report, which analyzes Canadian railroads' performance that year.

The report includes information on freight- and passenger-rail traffic, fuel consumption, locomotive fleet inventory, and greenhouse-gas and criteria air contaminant (CAC) emissions data.

Canadian Pacific and CN, achieved 80.6% of their emissions intensity reduction target between 2018 and 2020, RAC officials said in a press release. Since 2005, the railroads’ emissions intensity has improved by 25.1%.

Also since 2005 — despite an overall increase in rail traffic — Canadian railroads’ CAC emissions have significantly decreased, with releases of carbon monoxide down 5.2%, nitrogen oxides down 44.1%, hydrocarbons down 51.1%, particulate matter down 58.3% and sulfur dioxide down 99%.

In 2020, the railroads modernized their fleets by adding 46 Tier 4 locomotives and retiring 149 mostly lower-tiered and non-tiered locomotives, the report shows. An anti-idling device was installed on 3,109 locomotives, or 82.8% of the total fleet.

“This report makes clear that Canada’s railways are fully committed to reducing their emissions intensity and are making impressive progress,” said RAC President and CEO Marc Brazeau.

The association represents the interests of nearly 60 freight and passenger railroads in Canada.