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Yesterday, CSX Corp. announced it reached a voluntary goal of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by 8 percent ahead of schedule. The Class I had expected to cut emissions 1.5 million metric tons (per revenue ton mile) by 2011’s end, but accomplished the goal in late 2010.

The reductions equal the effects of taking 296,000 cars off a highway for one year, or consuming more than 3.5 million fewer barrels of oil, according to CSX.

The reduction goal, part of the Class I’s participation in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Leaders program, was the first-ever emissions reduction commitment by a major transportation provider, CSX officials said in a prepared statement. The railroad now employs ultra-low-emission GenSet locomotives and is modernizing infrastructure to accommodate more efficient double-stacked intermodal trains, they said. In addition, new facilities — such as a recently opened intermodal terminal in North Baltimore, Ohio — include such innovations as electric cranes and optical cargo scanners to reduce emissions and decrease truck idling times, CSX officials said.

“This effort demonstrates CSX's unyielding commitment to environmental excellence and its ability to set and meet aggressive goals," said CSX Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Ward. “With expectations of massive increases in freight demand in the coming decades, it is increasingly important that all modes of transportation work together to make the global supply chain as efficient and environmentally-friendly as possible.”