Queensland Rail and the Environment
The movement of people by rail is well recognised as an environmentally sustainable form of transport because of the ability to carry large numbers of passengers efficiently.
Queensland Rail is committed to managing its services and operational activities in an environmentally responsible manner to meet legal obligations and community expectations. We seek to be proactive in developing means by which our business can grow in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Access
Queensland Rail's Environment and Sustainability Policy for more details.
Benefits of Rail Passenger Transport
The capacity of a motor car is usually five people. A six-carriage Queensland Rail train can carry approximately 1000 people.
Therefore, one train can take approximately 200 cars off the road.
This is likely to be a conservative estimate, as the average occupancy of motorcars in Queensland is approximately 1.5 people (Transport and Infrastructure Council: Australian Transport Assessment and Planning Guidelines: PV2 Road Parameter Values 2016).
The benefits of transitioning passengers from road to rail include but are not limited to, reduced greenhouse emissions, improved air quality, decreased congestion on roads, improved road safety, and greatly reduced requirements for car parking space.
The Australasian Rail Association has more information about the benefits of trains for passenger and freight transport in the
Value of Rail Report 2020.
How you can help
Queensland Rail is making it easy for customers to be environmentally friendly. By catching the train, you are already actively reducing carbon emissions. Other ways you can help out include:
Queensland Rail engages in proactive management to maintain compliance with applicable environmental legislation.
Find out more about how we manage noise.