Spatial Performance of Rail and Road Transportation

This graph compares a rail line with a four lane highway. Rail is far more efficient than road in terms of capacity and space consumption. For instance, it has more than double the capacity (335,000 tons per km per day compared to 150,000 tons per km per day for road) and three times the spatial performance (in tons per km per m2 per day) of roads.

Copyright © 1998-2008, Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, Dept. of Economics & Geography, Hofstra University. For personal or classroom use ONLY. This material (including graphics) is not public domain and cannot be published, in whole or in part, in ANY form (printed or electronic) and on any media without consent. Permission MUST be requested prior to use.