{"id":7334,"date":"2022-05-09T07:34:43","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T14:34:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/blog\/?p=7334"},"modified":"2026-01-27T08:14:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T16:14:00","slug":"passenger-trains-vs-freight-trains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/blog\/passenger-trains-vs-freight-trains\/","title":{"rendered":"Passenger Trains vs. Freight Trains"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What Is The Difference Between Passenger Trains and Freight Trains<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The differences between commuter and freight trains are numerous, ranging from technical to operational. In this article, we\u2019ll take a deeper dive into the main differences and what trains, in the day when electric cars are all the buzz, have to offer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So let\u2019s dive right in.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Technical Differences<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First off: We all know to one extent or another what passenger trains are. But <\/span><b>what are freight trains?<\/b> <b>They are trains specifically designed to be able to haul the maximum possible amount of cargo (freight)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We can define a train (as a general term) as one or more <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.railway-technical.com\/trains\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">railway vehicles<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> capable of movement. This movement is fixed (by the railway) and it\u2019s usually powered by one or more locomotives. There are usually several unpowered vehicles (cars\/wagons) attached to the locomotives in a fixed formation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In short, <\/span><b>passenger trains accelerate much faster and break much faster than freight trains.<\/b> <b>They are also much lighter<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>as a passenger train filled with all of the equipment weighs about as much as an empty freight train<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Now let\u2019s get into it in more detail.<\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7341\" src=\"https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Passenger-train-and-freight-train-at-a-train-station-min.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Passenger-train-and-freight-train-at-a-train-station-min.jpg 999w, https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Passenger-train-and-freight-train-at-a-train-station-min-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Passenger-train-and-freight-train-at-a-train-station-min-768x500.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The obvious difference is that one is built for hauling heavy cargo while the other is designed to transport people. That means that passenger trains will usually be powered by one locomotive while freight trains can be powered by as many as four.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Along with the obvious visual aspect, the differences don\u2019t stop there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For various reasons, freight trains have much lower speed limitations than passenger trains. One of these reasons is that<\/span><b> freight weighs much more than passengers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. That means that freight trains are much more difficult to get going or stop due to momentum.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>If you need an example, just think of trying to stop an NFL quarterback compared to stopping a toddler on a bike, or even one without a bike.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Sensitive cargo<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><b>Another reason why freight trains are slower is that they are limited by the slowest car in the line.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If one wagon can only move at 40 miles per hour, then the whole train will have to honor that speed limit. These speed limits exist for specific commodities in part due to slack action. For example, if a commodity is fragile or dangerous, then due to the free space between wagons (slack-action) it will experience the full effects of inertia, and at the enormous weights that freight trains haul, that can be quite severe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Powering the behemoth<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, <\/span><b>freight trains are longer and they can often have multiple, electrically powered units that actually power and move the train itself<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Instead of one locomotive pulling the entire set of wagons, several can do it much more efficiently working in tandem. Compared to that, passenger trains are much lighter and have more horsepower per tonne, which is relatively easy given the weight difference.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Freight trains can be as long as 700 meters (roughly 2300 feet) and can weigh up to 1600 metric tons (over 3.5 million pounds).\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On top of that, just like truck trailers, train wagons can differ based on the number of axles they have and the amount of weight they can accommodate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wagons can have two, four, six, and eight axles, and based on that they can take between 28.5 to 100 tons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7346\" src=\"https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Depositphotos_188106010_S-min.jpg\" alt=\"Train on a bridge\" width=\"650\" height=\"434\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Depositphotos_188106010_S-min.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Depositphotos_188106010_S-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Depositphotos_188106010_S-min-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Operational Differences<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We won\u2019t be focusing too much on the travel side of transportation by train since we are a freight blog after all. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve found <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/wheretheroadforks.com\/bus-vs-train-vs-plane-travel-pros-and-cons\/#:~:text=Trains%20offer%20fewer%20departure%20and,bus%20leaving%20every%20half%20hour.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a good source of information<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on that topic in particular in case you\u2019re more interested in that aspect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We will, however, focus on the differences in operations and procedures when transporting people vs freight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>But in order to outline the differences, let\u2019s first outline the similarities. For one, both types of trains use the same railways. It would make little to no sense for private owners (and yes, rails in the USA are mostly privately owned) to build completely different rail networks for passengers and cargo. After all, the highest demand for most goods is where people live.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The USA railways are privately owned and they expand into Canada and Mexico which makes them a HUGE network, and <\/span><b>when it comes to freight, the USA railways are unmatched<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With that being said, the passenger side of rail transportation in North America is lacking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Revenue<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And that\u2019s no surprise. <\/span><b>Only about 5% of rail transportation revenue in the USA and Canada is from commutes. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If one of two venues in your organization generates 95% of profits, then you\u2019re going to focus most of your efforts on that part.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This fact does not excuse the delays experienced by train passengers but it does put things into perspective.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Speed<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To follow this train of thought, let\u2019s list a few more factors that commuting by train is, at least currently, lacking. Firstly, <\/span><b>passenger trains in the USA are slow<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Unlike Japan and a few other countries which have trains capable of traveling at 200 miles per hour, <\/span><b>the USA has only had one high-speed rail line under construction <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetravel.com\/could-the-usa-ever-get-highspeed-rail\/#:~:text=As%20of%20November%202021%2C%20the,have%20experienced%20decades%20of%20neglect.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>as of November 2021<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That means that if you\u2019re looking to travel by train in North America, you\u2019re looking at a much longer time spent on the (rail)road. Why spend 12 hours sitting on a train when you can get where you need in 4-5 by car or 1-1.5 by airplane?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Highway infrastructure<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/qz.com\/375745\/american-cities-are-designed-for-cars-which-makes-life-worse-for-everyone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">American cities are built for cars<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If you\u2019re wondering why this matters since trains don\u2019t operate inside cities anyway, We\u2019ll tell you. It\u2019s because cars and road transport aren\u2019t limited to cities alone. <\/span><b>Along with excellent railways (for freight), the USA also has highly developed highways<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which coupled with the fact that city designs themselves are pushing American citizens to buy cars makes it a no-brainer when considering which way to travel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Back to the actual operational differences between the freight and passenger rail operations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Sentience<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Humans, unlike cargo, can make their own decisions and handle their own paperwork which makes life much easier for passenger train operators. People can also take care of themselves without having someone safely strap them to their chairs and they can even board and leave the train on their own.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, rail yards have to be manned and equipped with serious pieces of machinery for loading and unloading heavy cargo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7340\" src=\"https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Freight-train-transporting-cargo-min.jpg\" alt=\"A freight train moving through desert terrain\" width=\"650\" height=\"434\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Freight-train-transporting-cargo-min.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Freight-train-transporting-cargo-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Freight-train-transporting-cargo-min-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why Rail Freight Matters Now More Than Ever<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rail freight transport <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/railroads.dot.gov\/rail-network-development\/freight-rail-overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">accounts for a third of all intercity freight volume in the USA<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and yet it accounts for only about 2% of all transportation-related emissions. In fact, a single gallon of diesel fuel is enough for a freight train to transport a ton of freight for 470 miles. As per the Association of American Railroads, freight railroads actually account for only 0.5% of all of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aar.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/AAR-Sustainability-Fact-Sheet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">USA\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Let\u2019s dive a little deeper.\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Freight transportation accounts for roughly 9% of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide (and about 30% of all transportation-related emissions overall). Luckily, there\u2019s currently quite a bit of push for big corporations to adjust their business practices and reduce their impact on the environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The freight industry is following suit, investing in better, more efficient engines and transporting cargo by rail. How? Well, in 2020 the USA railroads consumed 675 MILLION gallons of fuel fewer than they would have had they kept using the same practices from the 2000s. That also means that they emitted 6.7 million tons of carbon monoxide less than their 2000s practices would have led them to emit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Congestion<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The advantages of using rail freight carriers don\u2019t stop there. Railways are already active so we don\u2019t notice this as much, but using rail freight carriers reduces highway congestion immensely. As per the Texas Transportation Institute, in 2017, highway congestion had a hefty cost on American time and the economy <\/span><b>of $166 billion dollars in wasted time and wasted fuel<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A single freight train can replace <\/span><b>several HUNDRED freight trucks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which frees up valuable space on highways and saves vast amounts of fuel. There\u2019s a bonus. Similar to modern cars, trains have features that allow them to shut off engines instead of idling which is another big plus in terms of fuel efficiency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re a driver, you\u2019ve likely driven down a road and gotten pretty mad that it\u2019s already bumpy and\/or bent. If you\u2019ve ever wondered why that is, it\u2019s in large part because trucks that transport up to 40 thousand pounds of cargo inflict a large amount of wear and tear on the roads which requires them to be maintained and fixed up more often.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>In our Experience<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve had a lot of experience dealing with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/freight\/rail-shipping\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rail freight<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> carriers due to the exact reasons listed above. They\u2019re a much greener option compared to trucks and in addition to that (and luckily for our clients), they\u2019re usually the cheapest. Due to their fuel efficiency, carrying capacity, and less manpower required, along with the fact that they\u2019re slower in terms of transit times, rail carriers have the luxury of being cost-effective.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To recap<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve covered the difference between passenger and freight trains and we can summarize them in one sentence: Passenger trains are shorter, faster and they transport people while freight trains have less horsepower per ton, move heavy cargo, and are <\/span><b>incredibly efficient at what they do<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Traveling by train as a passenger may be slow and frustrating, but when it comes to freight, rail transport is unmatched.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re interested in learning more about our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/freight\/rail-shipping\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rail freight shipping<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> services for businesses, check out our rail shipping page. <strong>We offer competitive, instant, freight shipping rates across the entirety of the USA and Canada!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What Is The Difference Between Passenger Trains and Freight Trains The differences between commuter and freight trains are numerous, ranging from technical to operational. In this article, we\u2019ll take a deeper dive into the main differences and what trains, in the day when electric cars are all the buzz, have to offer. So let\u2019s dive [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.freightera.com\/blog\/passenger-trains-vs-freight-trains\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":342,"featured_media":7342,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about-freight-shipping","category-green-freight"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>All About The Difference Between Passenger and Freight Trains<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you&#039;ve ever wondered about what a freight train is or what exactly makes it different from a standard passenger train, look no further.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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