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Re: Rail most efficient, not no 2 continuing earlier thread.
Author: Dave Smith
Date: 12-13-2007 - 19:35
On the Mississippi, barge efficiency is around 1,000 ton/miles per gallon net, and that's with the need to break apart consists at each lock. On the Columbia/Snake, barge efficiency is higher at 1200 net, with a potential for 1500 net on an unbroken consist - operational nuances on waterways usually results in barge tows running two grain barges, plus two more barges of either containers, wood chips, or fuel tankers. I asked the guy at Foss why they don't just run "unit" barge tows of all grain etc, and he stated that it is more efficient to run "mixed" barge tows since you can't really run all container or all wood chip barge tows.
On rail efficiency, the most efficient unit grain move railwise is BNSF via Marias Pass/Columbia Gorge. I was told by a guy at MRL that they can average up to 1500 ton/miles per gallon net round trip. Of course, both modes are dependent on relatively long truck hauls to serve their terminals. Railroads have hurt themselves in rejecting carload for unit operations in this regard, as each terminal consolidation requires longer and longer truck hauls relative to older carload movements. Thus, to maintain overall supply chain efficiency, the rail haul has to get longer and longer to compensate for lost branchline service.
Of course, there are cases of carload rail to barge service (the most fuel efficient move possible), but those are rare. The GNR nee-Camas Prairie used to have shorthaul grain shuttle service to the Port of Lewiston before the embargo of the 2nd sub. They still have a few carloads from the 1st sub. Also, WATCO has run shuttles from various Palouse grain elevators to the Port of Wallula. These moves make sense, as both UP and BNSF are experiencing congestion through the Gorge, while the waterway has excess capacity.
I don't know if it's possible to compare apples to apples from Lewiston to Portland rail vs barge, since neither mode runs true unit consists between those points. BNSF and UP do run carload grain sets from Lewiston to Portland, but those carloads are usually humped at Pasco/Hinkle respectively which reduces fuel efficiency. Again, in both cases the relative operational efficiencies trump pure fuel efficient operations.
However, if the Columbia/Snake river barge operators wanted to, they could pass 2,000 ton/miles per gallon in efficiency if they ran double consists (e.g. 8 barges per tow instead of the usual four) and broke them up for passage through each lock. Again, this would cause a delay of up to an hour at each dam if they did it that way. Right now, they run about 48 to 56 hours Lewiston to Portland, which by the way is faster than current rail operations.
On rail efficiency, the most efficient unit grain move railwise is BNSF via Marias Pass/Columbia Gorge. I was told by a guy at MRL that they can average up to 1500 ton/miles per gallon net round trip. Of course, both modes are dependent on relatively long truck hauls to serve their terminals. Railroads have hurt themselves in rejecting carload for unit operations in this regard, as each terminal consolidation requires longer and longer truck hauls relative to older carload movements. Thus, to maintain overall supply chain efficiency, the rail haul has to get longer and longer to compensate for lost branchline service.
Of course, there are cases of carload rail to barge service (the most fuel efficient move possible), but those are rare. The GNR nee-Camas Prairie used to have shorthaul grain shuttle service to the Port of Lewiston before the embargo of the 2nd sub. They still have a few carloads from the 1st sub. Also, WATCO has run shuttles from various Palouse grain elevators to the Port of Wallula. These moves make sense, as both UP and BNSF are experiencing congestion through the Gorge, while the waterway has excess capacity.
I don't know if it's possible to compare apples to apples from Lewiston to Portland rail vs barge, since neither mode runs true unit consists between those points. BNSF and UP do run carload grain sets from Lewiston to Portland, but those carloads are usually humped at Pasco/Hinkle respectively which reduces fuel efficiency. Again, in both cases the relative operational efficiencies trump pure fuel efficient operations.
However, if the Columbia/Snake river barge operators wanted to, they could pass 2,000 ton/miles per gallon in efficiency if they ran double consists (e.g. 8 barges per tow instead of the usual four) and broke them up for passage through each lock. Again, this would cause a delay of up to an hour at each dam if they did it that way. Right now, they run about 48 to 56 hours Lewiston to Portland, which by the way is faster than current rail operations.
