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Passenger Rail

Worldwide, rail travel is generally more efficient on a per-km basis than driving or aviation, though less than motorcoach buses. Diesel rail, such as Amtrak, tends to be less efficient, while electric rail, including high speed rail, tends to be more efficient.

Magnetic levitation (maglev) technology remains limited due to high cost. At the same speed, maglev is more efficient than conventional high speed rail due to avoidance of direct contact with the track, but air resistance lowers efficiency at higher speeds. More speculatively, if the Hyperloop system is brought to fruition, its energy needs are unknown but could exceed that of today's rail.

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Estimates are sourced from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics 1 and Minn 2 for diesel rail; Minn 2 for electric rail; the BTS 1, EV World 3, and Minn 2 for high speed rail; Hoffrichter for hydrogen rail 4 (with and without regenerative braking), based on the diesel figures and assuming that hydrogen is produced through steam methane reforming of natural gas; EV World 3, MacKay 5, and Ziemke 6 for maglev; and Goeverden et al. 7 for the Hyperloop.

Hydrogen rail is most advantageous where it is cost-prohibitive to directly electrify tracks 4.

Magnetic Levitation

As of 2020, there were six maglev systems operating in the world, with three in China, two in South Korea, and one in Japan 8, with the only system qualifying as high-speed (top speed of at least 250 kilometers per hour or around 155 miles per hour) the 18.6 mile Shanghai maglev 9. The major intercity maglev projects under construction as of 2025 include the Chūō Shinkansen in Japan, which has suffered delays 10, and the Changsha-Liuyang line in China 11. The development of maglev has been slow due to the high cost of the system 12.

References

  1. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "Table 4-20: Energy Intensity of Passenger Modes (Btu per passenger-mile)". Accessed May 23, 2019. ↩ ↩2

  2. Minn, M. "Contested Power: American Long-Distance Passenger Rail and the Ambiguities of Energy Intensity Analysis". Sustainability. February 2019. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. EV World Staff. "Japan Commits to World's Longest Maglev Train System". EV World. February 2013. ↩ ↩2

  4. Hoffrichter, A. "Hydrogen as an Energy Carrier for Railway Traction". A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of doctor of philosophy. April 2013. ↩ ↩2

  5. MacKay, D. "Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air". UIT Cambridge, ISBN 978-0-9544529-3-3. Available free online from www.withouthotair.com. 2008. ↩

  6. Ziemke, D. "Comparison of High-Speed Rail Systems in the United States". Thesis, Master of Science in Civil Engineering in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology. December 2010. ↩

  7. Goeverden, K., Janic, M., Milakis, D. "Is Hyperloop helpful in relieving the environmental burden of long-distance travel?". Proceedings of the International Conference: Transport, Climate Change and Clean Air. June 2018. ↩

  8. Gieras, J.F. "Ultra high-speed ground transportation systems: Current Status and a vision for the future". Przeglad Elektrotechniczny 9, pp. 1-7. 2020. ↩

  9. Gourgey, B. "High-speed rail trains are stalled in the US—and that might not change for a while". Popular Science. October 2022. ↩

  10. The Yoriuri Shimbun. "Japan’s Maglev Shinkansen’s Partially Completed Station Unveiled; Station Will Be Only Underground Stop Between Shinagawa, Nagoya". The Japan News. June 2025. ↩

  11. Smith, K. "China begins construction of inter-city maglev". International Railway Journal. November 2024. ↩

  12. Yavuz, M. N., Öztürk, Z. "Comparison of conventional high speed railway, maglev and hyperloop transportation systems". International Advanced Researches and Engineering Journal 5(1), pp. 113-122. April 2021. ↩