Rail freight: carbon footprint per tonne-km
Live factor value
0.02583 kgCO2e per tonne-km
Source: UK DESNZ greenhouse-gas conversion factors, 2026 (revision 2). Factor set desnz-2026-r2.
Moving a tonne of goods by rail emits a quarter or less of moving it by average HGV — the official DESNZ 2026 freight-train factor is shown live below per tonne-kilometre. Steel wheels on steel rails, long consists and (increasingly) electric traction make rail the most efficient practical land mode for heavy flows.
The catch is the first and last mile: most rail freight journeys start and end on a lorry, so the realistic comparison is rail-plus-short-road against road-all-the-way. For regular heavy flows between railheads the saving remains dramatic, which is why modal shift to rail features in nearly every serious freight decarbonisation plan.
Worked example
One tonne moved London–Glasgow by rail (~650 tonne-km): 650 × 0.02583 = 16.8 kgCO2e.
Measure your own with the free freight calculator.
Frequently asked questions
- How does rail freight compare with road?
- Per tonne-km, the official freight-train factor is around a quarter of the average-HGV figure — and far below vans. Sea freight is lower still; air freight is orders of magnitude higher.