Carbon by Rail

Reasons to Choose Rail

  • Speed to Market
    Established geography and permitting will save carbon customers’ time.
  • Capture & Transport Infrastructure
    Rail has a longstanding position shipping CO2.
  • Sustainability
    Rail is the most environmentally responsible way to ship by land. 

Ready to get started? Simply register now with our Carbon by Rail Team.

Your safe and sustainable transportation solution

As global awareness of carbon dioxide’s impact grows, businesses are continually evolving their methods of energy and production. Carbon capture, the process of capturing carbon dioxide emissions from industrial facilities and power plants, offers a promising solution. This captured carbon dioxide can be repurposed to create new products or sequestered for permanent storage.

Transporting captured carbon by rail can further reduce emissions, making it a highly effective strategy for enhancing your company’s sustainability efforts. This mitigates environmental impact and also positions your business as a leader in sustainable practices.

Union Pacific ships carbon by rail in a safe, sustainable and cost-effective way. Based on your location, the railroad offers geographic sequestration partnerships, like Frontier Carbon Solutions in southwest Wyoming, on the largest network with the fastest route.

Providing safe, reliable and available service

The safest, most environmentally responsible way to move freight by land is by rail, and tank cars are the ideal solution for transporting liquid CO2. Tank cars, which hold approximately 78 tons of CO2, are perfect for this purpose. CO2 is an inert, non-flammable gas, and railroads have a long history of safely transporting it. Before it’s shipped, CO2 is compressed into a liquid-like substance, so it can be transported to storage sites by rail.

Achieving your emissions reductions goals

Freight trains generate a carbon footprint that is, on average, up to 75 percent less than trucks, making rail a greener choice for companies seeking to reduce transportation emissions. Converting freight transportation from truck to rail typically results in an immediate reduction in Scope 3 GHG emissions. In 2023, Union Pacific customers avoided approximately 22.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by choosing rail transportation over trucks. One train can take hundreds of trucks off the nation’s already congested highways while moving nearly 500 miles on a single gallon of diesel fuel.

Union Pacific’s network advantage

Union Pacific is eager to help reach your emission reduction goals with our Carbon by Rail program, which specializes in shipping carbon for utilization or permanent storage. Our network aligns with the primary permanent storage geological formations, and we are creatively working with industry partners to develop future-need transportation solutions. Union Pacific has initiated partnerships across our 23-state network to build the carbon by rail market.

Ready to start shipping by rail?

There’s no need to wait for a multi-year agreement. Simply register now with our Carbon by Rail Team to get started.