Amtrak Highlights Focus on Sustainability in New Report

A new report from Amtrak found that the rail company reduced diesel usage and air emissions last year, as well as increased purchases related to carbon-free energy.

According to Amtrak’s fiscal year 2022 Sustainability Report, a company-wide commitment to climate preservation has coincided with a resurgence in passenger rail travel. As a result, Amtrak is expanding its network and improving its fleet of trains.

The rail company cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 450,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide since 2010. The total reduction does not include additional GHG emissions avoided each time someone chooses rail travel over driving or flying, which accounts for a decrease of up to 83 percent or 72 percent, respectively.

To meet Amtrak’s pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its network by 2045, the company is expanding efforts to reduce its environmental impacts while safely moving people.

“Sustainability sits at the heart of Amtrak’s value proposition: we aim to get you there reliably, safely and with a smaller impact on the environment,” Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said.

“As we build a more modern Amtrak with federal funding from the landmark Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), we aim to lead a new era of sustainable passenger rail,” Gardner continued.

Locomotive manufacturers also approved the use of renewable diesel on California’s state-supported passenger trains to begin in the fiscal year 2023, a change that will reduce reliance on fossil fuels and cuts lifecycle emissions produced by diesel locomotives.

In addition, Amtrak installed more than 3,000 new light fixtures, including 1,400 replacements of fluorescent or early-generation LED, a move that reduced the company’s GHG emissions output by roughly 500 metric tons.

Other highlights from the report include investing $2.3 billion in capital projects, restoring or expanding service along 11 routes, hiring more than 3,700 new employees, ridership rebounding by 89 percent over the previous year and modernized Amtrak Airo trainsets joining the fleet.