At BNSF, we strive to minimize our impact on the planet and to contribute to the long-term sustainability of every community we serve. Railroads are the most environmentally preferred mode of surface transportation and cutting carbon emissions is a priority as we move our customers’ freight via rail.
Overall, our customers reduced their total carbon emissions by 37.5 million metric tons in 2017 by choosing not to move freight entirely over the road. Reducing road congestion plays a large part in this; one BNSF intermodal train removes up to several hundred long-haul trucks from our nation’s highways.
BNSF’s sustainability efforts aren’t limited to reducing road congestion—we’ve also deployed several carbon-cutting technologies on our locomotives. Examples include idle control, which automatically shuts down locomotives idling on the rails, and GenSet switch locomotives, an ultra-low emission, EPA-certified diesel switch locomotive with engines that only operate when needed.
Carbon-cutting technologies are also being applied to loading equipment, such as electric wide-span cranes. These cranes produce zero emissions on site while generating power each time they lower a load and remove as many as six diesel trucks for shuttling containers within the intermodal facility. Learn more about BNSF and the environment: bnsf.com/in-the-community/
