The Demo Site

Some things everybody knows, just knows. Like the WMD Saddam had in his back pocket. Everybody just knew he had 'em.

Everybody just knows that mass transit is cleaner than cars, too, and saves fuel. And once again, everybody's got it wrong.

"Light rail" is the darling of transit boosters these days, operating or under construction in 26 American cities, including sprawling Phoenix and scattered Seattle-Tacoma. This is a system of self-powered cars. Depending on the design, it may run on its own exclusive right of way or on tracks through the streets. "Heavy rail," either subways or elevated, always runs on its own right of way. "Commuter rail" uses passenger coaches pulled by locomotives, often on tracks shared with freight lines.

"Most light-rail systems use as much or more energy per passenger mile as the average passenger car, several are worse than the average light truck, and none is as efficient as a Prius," writes Randal O'Toole in a new study from the Cato Institute titled "Does Rail Transit Save Energy or Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions?"

From several federal sources, O'Toole calculated the average energy used per passenger mile for various transportation methods. Ferry boats came out worst, sucking up 10,744 BTUs per passenger mile. A Toyota Prius was best at 1659 BTUs per mile. The average of all automobiles, which includes SUVs, vans, and cars together, is 3885 BTUs per mile, whereas passenger cars alone average 3445. The average light-rail system is slightly worse at 3465. Buses, at 4365 BTUs, are much worse; commuter rail and heavy rail are better at about 2600 but still no match for the Prius.

Keep Reading: Save Energy, Take the Car - Column