It is commonly assumed that taking the train serves as a more climate-friendly means of travel than flying by commercial aircraft. Nevertheless, in Canada, long-distance rail services are powered by aging and inefficient diesel locomotives. Moreover, long-haul passenger trains are not typically loaded to capacity, and they must travel longer distances than equivalent air routes (which are able to benefit from more direct flight paths). This viewpoint considers whether traveling long-distance by train generates a larger climatic footprint than flying by commercial aircraft, and offers a basic carbon footprint analysis and modal comparison of three long-distance routes in Canada. It finds that taking the train does indeed generate a larger climatic impact than flying, in the cases of VIA Rail's trips between Toronto and Vancouver and between Montreal and Halifax, even when taking air travel's additional non-CO ₂ warming impact into account. While travelling by train within the modernized Quebec City-Windsor Corridor generates a smaller climatic footprint than flying, VIA Rail's greenhouse gas emissions factor within the Corridor is still far higher than international rail comparisons. The viewpoint concludes by enumerating some policy changes which could reverse this dynamic and help Canadian long-distance rail fulfill its reputation as a green choice.

中文翻译：

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一个不那么环保的选择？加拿大长途铁路客运的高碳足迹

人们普遍认为，与乘坐商用飞机相比，乘坐火车是一种更环保的出行方式。然而，在加拿大，长途铁路服务由老化且效率低下的内燃机车提供动力。此外，长途客运列车通常不会满载，它们必须比同等航线（能够从更直接的航线中受益）行驶更远的距离。该观点考虑了乘坐火车长途旅行是否比乘坐商用飞机产生更大的气候足迹，并提供了加拿大三条长途航线的基本碳足迹分析和模式比较。它发现乘坐火车确实比乘坐飞机产生更大的气候影响，在 VIA Rail 的情况下' ₂ 升温影响考虑在内。虽然在现代化的魁北克市-温莎走廊内乘坐火车旅行产生的气候足迹比飞行小，但威盛铁路在走廊内的温室气体排放因子仍远高于国际铁路比较。该观点最后列举了一些政策变化，这些变化可以扭转这种动态并帮助加拿大长途铁路实现其作为绿色选择的声誉。