[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11790]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         FREIGHT RAIL INDUSTRY

  Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I rise today to address the impact the 
freight rail industry has on reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. 
According to a recent Department of Transportation study, freight 
traffic is expected to increase 67 percent by 2020--against a backdrop 
of concerns about global climate change, the stringency of clean air 
standards, increased traffic congestion, high energy prices, and the 
need for greater energy independence. Freight rail is the most energy 
efficient and environmentally friendly mode of land transportation. 
Today, freight rail can move a ton of freight 436 miles on a single 
gallon of diesel. U.S. freight railroads have significantly reduced 
their carbon intensity and fuel efficiency. In 1980, 1 gallon of diesel 
fuel moved 1 ton of freight by rail an average of 235 miles. In 2007, 
the same amount of fuel moved 1 ton of freight by rail an average of 
436 miles roughly equivalent to the distance from Boston to Baltimore 
and an 80-percent increase over 1980. Depending upon the type of cargo 
being transported and the number of cars, a single freight train is 
capable of being as productive as 500 trucks.
  I am pleased that CSX is working with Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, 
West Virginia, and Pennsylvania on the National Gateway. The National 
Gateway is a plan to create a more efficient rail route linking Mid-
Atlantic ports with midwestern markets, improving the flow of rail 
traffic between these regions by increasing the use of double-stack 
trains. This public-private partnership will upgrade tracks, equipment 
and facilities, and provide clearance allowing double-stack intermodal 
trains.
  The National Gateway proposes preparing three major rail corridors 
for double-stack clearance: I-95 corridor between North Carolina and 
Baltimore, MD, via Washington, DC; I-70/I-76 corridor between 
Washington, DC, and northwest Ohio via Pittsburgh, PA; and Carolina 
corridor between Wilmington, NC and Charlotte, NC. The result will be 
thousands of new jobs, improved railway reliability, and the diversion 
of heavy trucks from crowded highways leading to reduced emissions and 
highway maintenance costs and improved road safety.
  Since the I-70/I-76 corridor between Washington, DC, and northwest 
Ohio is a highly traveled route, it is well-located to become an 
efficient link between the east coast and midwestern markets. Expansion 
of rail infrastructure in Columbus, OH, and North Baltimore, OH, will 
help alleviate some of the freight congestion in the Chicago, 
Cincinnati and Cleveland areas. The National Gateway project would 
build a new rail terminal in North Baltimore, OH, and expand intermodal 
capacity in Columbus, creating thousands of new jobs. I look forward to 
working with the Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, and 
Pennsylvania delegations to make this partnership a reality.

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