Full story can be found at: https://www.climativity.com/amtrak-commits-to-net-zero-by-2045

Amtrak, the commercial railway system in the US who kills it on twitter just made a huge announcement.

Back in 1916, 98% of commercial intercity travel in the US was done by the rail. Over time, planes, and cars began to replace much of this patronage, until a crisis hit in the 1960’s from decreased ridership and worn out infrastructure in need of replacement. Many proposals came in to place to try and resurrect the rail, but most failed.

Yet in 1970, president Nixon signed the Rail Passenger Service Act and formed an organization called Railpax that was changed just 2 weeks prior to operations to Amtrak; A portmanteau of America and track. The vast majority of the existing trains joined in and while they continued to have an uphill battle, they’ve always provided a convenient and accessible alternative to pretty much every other way of travel.

Today, they’re taking a huge leap forward by committing to net zero by 2045. As they explain, Amtrak is…46% more energy efficient than traveling by car and 34% more energy efficient than domestic air travel. They’re now integrating sustainability into all facets of their business by sourcing 100% carbon free electricity by 2030 and seemingly taking this very seriously across all of their vehicles, operations, infrastructure, and supply chains. In their direct words, “Climate change is a global crisis requiring bold collective action”. It’s “negatively impacting Amtrak services and operations, while threatening the communities we live in and serve.”