Passenger railroad on track to meet emissions reduction goals
WASHINGTON – A newly released fiscal year (FY) 2023 Sustainability Report details Amtrak’s progress toward Net-Zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2045. In FY23 Amtrak replaced more than a million gallons of fossil-fuel with renewable diesel, began integrating climate resilience and sustainability design measures into capital projects and finalized plans to host its first clean energy generation facility.
“Passenger rail is widely recognized as one of the most sustainable modes of transportation, and we are taking steps to make rail even more attractive,” said Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner. “The emissions reductions already met, and climate goals set forth in the annual report underline our commitment to providing customers safe and reliable travel while further reducing our already-low carbon footprint.”
Highlights from the FY23 Sustainability Report include:
- Replacing more than 2 million gallons of fossil fuel with renewable diesel on California’s state-supported Capitol Corridor, Pacific Surfliner and Amtrak San Joaquins passenger trains, reducing GHG emissions by roughly 63%.
- Eliminating disposable tableware at the Metropolitan Lounge inside Moynihan Train Hall; transitioning from individually prepackaged products to in-house food preparation and plating reduced the Lounge’s plastic packaging by 75%.
- Adding the first electric bus to Amtrak’s National Network of Thruway service on the Pacific Northwest’s Cascades route, reducing annual GHG emissions by 109 metric tons.
- Developing resilient design guidelines for capital and maintenance projects, making Amtrak climate-ready for changing conditions.
Amtrak is on a mission to connect more people and places across America with plans to double ridership to 66 million by 2040. To shift people out of cars and planes, the strategies within Amtrak’s Climate Commitment are improving sustainability and increasing resiliency to become a bigger part of the solution for addressing climate change. Learn more about business and investment decisions to achieve this goal in Amtrak’s FY 2023 Sustainability Report.