Diesel Locomotives: Smokestacks on Rails

These workhorses are big polluters and need federal rules

Posted: 21-Dec-2006; Updated: 26-Mar-2007

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Americans have long been fascinated with trains (think of the beloved children's book The Little Engine that Could, the PBS series Thomas and Friends and the legions of train aficionados). Railroads have been a driving force in our nation's westward development and are key to our economy, hauling everything from people, automobiles, paper and lumber to vegetables and grain around the country.

Locomotives churn out a noxious brew of pollutants

But locomotives are also among the most dangerous and pervasive sources of air pollution in the United States. Today, the use of locomotives to transport freight is on the rise, and nearly all locomotives are powered by diesel engines. As a result, these "smokestacks on rails" contribute significantly to national air pollution.

Our new report, Smokestacks on Rails: Getting Clean Air Solutions for Locomotives on Track [PDF], documents the growing public health threat and urges that the Environmental Protection Agency strengthen national standards for polluting diesel locomotives without further delay.

Today, more than 22,000 freight and 270 passenger locomotives operate in the United States, and roughly 100,000 miles of track crisscross the country. These smokestacks on rails churn out a noxious brew of pollutants and toxins that are responsible for a host of ill health effects, ranging from respiratory problems to premature death (more on health threats from diesel).

They are a significant source of pollution across America. EPA estimates that in 2006, locomotives will emit:

• as much oxides of nitrogen (NOx) as put out by 120 coal-fired power plants (an estimated 930,000 tons). (NOx is a precursor to ozone smog).
• as much particulate pollution as is emitted from 70 coal-fired power plants (more than 32,000 tons).

Another way to grasp the amount of smog-forming pollution that locomotives produce is to look at locomotives emissions in major cities and compare the numbers with automobile stats (see table below). For example, in Chicago, the busiest rail freight hub in the United States, the amount of pollution produced by trains is equal to a staggering 25 million cars meeting today’s emissions standards.

Table: Smog-Forming Emissions from Locomotives in Six Major Cities and Comparable Number of Today's Automobiles (i)

(i) Emissions data for Houston and Dallas is from 2002. Emissions data for the other cities is from 2003.

(ii) Calculations based on Tier 2 NOx emissions standard (0.07gNOx/mile) for highway vehicles and 12,000 vehicle miles/year.  Bureau of Automotive Repair, Engineering and Research Branch, State of California, "Methodology for Calculating Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)", September 30, 2000, Report 2000-06 [PDF].

(iii) Emissions data is for the South Coast Air Quality Management District

Freight transport to grow substantially over the next 25 years

Locomotives move nearly one half of our nation's freight (measured in ton-miles). And railroad transport has more than doubled in the last 35 years.

The use of locomotives to move goods is projected to keep growing. In 1998, rail carried nearly 2 billion tons of freight, and by 2030 that figure is slated to swell to nearly 3 billion tons. In California alone, freight shipments by rail are expected to double by 2030. More rail transport means more pollution, underscoring how urgent it is for EPA to regulate emissions.

EPA promised to tighten standards for locomotives, but has not

In 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency promised to strengthen federal clean air standards for locomotives. The agency announced plans to issue proposed national emission standards in 2005 and to finalize those standards by mid-2006. But EPA has failed to act on its commitment. This rule would also clean up commercial ships — another significant source of air pollution. Find out more about how commercial shipping is polluting our air.

EPA has regulated many other diesel-powered motor vehicles, including trucks, buses, farm and construction equipment. Many states and public health and environmental organizations strongly support more protective standards for locomotives. (See letters to EPA: June 2005; February 2006.) 

Because train engines often last up to 40 years, EPA must act swiftly to minimize the serious health and environmental threats from locomotive diesel pollution.

Tens of thousands are hurt with each year of delaying regulations

In our analysis using EPA methodologies, Environmental Defense estimates that 2006's particulate and NOx pollution from locomotives will contribute to:

• more than 3,000 premature deaths,
• more than 4,000 non-fatal heart attacks,
• more than 60,000 cases of acute bronchitis and exacerbated asthma in children, and
• nearly 290,000 lost workdays.

The economic costs of such health problems total more than $23 billion a year.

Strict national standards can prevent serious harm

But by implementing stringent clean air standards (reducing NOx and PM emissions from locomotive engines by 90 percent starting in 2011), the nation could prevent:

• over 2,000 premature deaths,
• roughly 2,600 non-fatal heart attacks, 
• 36,000 cases of bronchitis and asthma attacks would be prevented each year, and
• nearly 170,000 lost workdays.

The health benefits would amount to more than $13 billion each year.

Find out more

• Executive summary and full report [PDF]: Smokestacks on Rails: Getting Clean Air Solutions for Locomotives on Track
• Fact sheet [PDF]: Smokestacks on Rails: Locomotive Pollution Impacts Public Health
• News release:  Environmental Defense releases report examining death and disease linked to diesel locomotive pollution, cites overdue deadline for EPA action