Fact #221: June 17, 2002
Transit Rail Energy Intensity Varies By System
Because of the inherent differences in the nature of services, routes available, and many additional factors, the energy intensity of transit rail systems can vary substantially among systems. The charts below show that for 2000, light rail systems varied from 1,600 Btu per passenger-mile to over 8,000 Btu per passenger-mile; energy intensity for heavy rail systems ranged from 2,200 to 6,200 Btu per passenger-mile.
Light Rail Transit Systems
Heavy Rail Transit Systems
Supporting Information
| City, State | Btu per passenger-mile |
|---|---|
| Cleveland, OH | 8,250 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 7,526 |
| San Jose, CA | 7,035 |
| Buffalo, NY | 6,839 |
| San Francisco, CA | 6,591 |
| Dallas, TX | 5,935 |
| Philadelphia, PA | 5,828 |
| Baltimore, MD | 5,508 |
| Seattle, WA | 5,383 |
| Sacramento, CA | 4,368 |
| Boston, MA | 3,878 |
| Denver, CO | 3,612 |
| Portland, OR | 2,927 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 2,621 |
| New Orleans, LA | 2,594 |
| St. Louis, MO | 2,366 |
| San Diego, CA | 2,337 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 1,970 |
| Newark, NJ | 1,597 |
| City, State | Btu per passenger-mile |
|---|---|
| Cleveland, OH | 6,173 |
| Lindenwold, NJ | 5,027 |
| Miami, FL | 4,928 |
| Boston, MA | 4,464 |
| Chicago, IL | 4,205 |
| Philadelphia, PA | 4,001 |
| Baltimore, MD | 3,845 |
| Washington, DC | 3,761 |
| New York, NY | 3,388 |
| Oakland, CA | 2,745 |
| Brooklyn, NY | 2,482 |
| Atlanta, GA | 2,249 |
|
Source: Federal Transit Administration, 2000 National Transit Database. | |
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