Why Rail is Best
Set out hereunder are a set of reasons why rail transport is so much better than road. Some of the information came from the Australiasian Railway Association (ARA).
- Efficiency benefits
- Economies of scale mean a higher ratio of payload to tare weight
- Shape of a train (long and narrow) means higher ratio of payload to aerodynamic drag
- Steel wheels on steel rails incur less rolling resistance than rubber tyres on bitumen or concrete roads - this reduces the energy needed to pull a train, and also means the maintenance cost of a railway is lower than for a road.
- Electric transmission (ie a diesel engine powering an electric generator supplying current to traction motors, as is standard on a railway locomotive) is more efficient than mechanical transmission with a gearbox, as is standard on road vehicles.
- Diesel locomotive fuel is usually stored in urban areas and locos can make an entire round trip (or several trips) on one tank, whereas trucks have to refuel more often including in country areas - meaning road transport incurs extra work to move the fuel around.
- Economic benefits
- Only one train crew (driver and possibly second man) is needed whatever the train length - obvious savings on payroll
- Efficiency benefits as stated above lower running costs
- There is more space available - a reefer wagon like SCT's (see report on ARA web site) can have much more insulation, making them more thermally efficient without reducing payload space as much as it would on a road trailer
- Environmental benefits
- Efficiency benefits as stated above lower pollution and usage of fossil fuels
- Steel is more durable than rubber and bitumen, not in danger of short supply, and completely recyclable
- Safety benefits
- Inherent technology safety
- Rails keep a train on course, making it difficult to accidentally run into a tree. Derailments are not common and are usually caused by insufficient maintenance.
- Safeworking methods make it almost impossible to have a collision without either insufficient maintenance or human errors which amount to criminal negligence
- Benefits of tighter regulation
- All locomotives are fitted with speed recorders, which are inspected after each journey to see if speed limits have been broken - equivalent to having a police speed camera watching 100% of vehicles for 100% of the journey
- Crew shifts are set beforehand and strictly controlled, reducing fatigue-related accidents
- Crews are thoroughly trained before being allowed to be in charge of a train - no wild hoons behind the wheel endangering themselves and everyone else on the road
- Convenience benefits
- Speed - trains can safely maintain 130km/h or more
- Space - an overnight sleeper passenger train can fit a full motel room into a compartment
- Comfort - passengers aren't confined to their seats for the duration of the trip, a result of the increased safety
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