This is an interesting article on the relative carbon footprint or different types of community transport, undertaken using life-cycle assessment. One of the most interesting comments is that trains are usually much worse than almost any other form of transport, if assessed on a per passenger basis. This is because of the number of trains per day that have very few passengers. It is only the peak hour trains, jammed full, which have a good environmental performance. Part of the issue with trains is also the need for dedicated land and infrastructure, which all adds to the impact.
I wonder if this means that a flexible bus system, with different sized buses for different times of day, and using the same road-space as other vehicles, would have a better environmental performance than rail?
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