Rail Transportation - Protecting Our Environment Now and for the Future

Trains are one of the nation's most environmentally friendly modes of moving freight, generating a carbon footprint that is 75 percent less than trucks. In recent decades, the railroad industry has developed new “green” technologies and environmentally responsible operating practices which have led to improved fuel efficiency. Since 1980, railroad fuel efficiency has increased 99 percent.  In fact, today’s railcars can move a ton of freight 469 miles on a single gallon of fuel.  

At Graniterock, one carload of rock carries the equivalent of eight truck/trailer one way trips. Loads of rock which originate at our A.R. Wilson Quarry in Aromas and have a destination of San Jose produce about one quarter the carbon emissions of trucks. For every 10,000 tons of rock shipped by rail instead of by truck from Aromas to San Jose, there is a carbon reduction of 30 metric tons. 

Moving freight by rail also pulls truck traffic off already congested highways and city streets.  On the San Francisco Peninsula, rail freight moves at night, primarily between 8pm and 5am. Less truck traffic on our highways not only reduces congestion but also makes roads safer for motorists and saves wear and tear on the region’s roads and highways.  

Rail transportation of Graniterock materials is a great choice for protecting our environment now and into the future, insuring safer highways and reducing the cost of maintaining our highways.