Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
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Table 4-26: Energy Intensity of Amtrak Services

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  1975 1980 1985 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Revenue passenger-miles (millions) 3,931 4,503 4,785 6,057 6,273 6,091 6,199 5,921 5,545 5,050 5,166 5,304 5,330 5,498 5,559 5,468 5,680 5,511 5,381
Locomotive fuel consumed                                      
Total fuel consumed (billion Btu)a 9,367 9,673 9,995 12,512 12,406 12,328 12,511 11,457 10,191 10,875 11,365 11,341 11,229 11,735 11,674 13,952 13,091 11,920 11,138
Electric (millions of kWh)a 180 254 295 330 303 300 301 309 304 293 282 275 283 350 377 593 666 648 500
Diesel (million gallons) 63 64 65 82 82 82 83 75 66 71 75 75 74 76 75 86 78 70 68
Energy intensity (Btu/revenue passenger-mile)a 2,383 2,148 2,089 2,066 1,978 2,024 2,018 1,935 1,838 2,153 2,200 2,138 2,107 2,134 2,100 2,551 2,305 2,163 2,070

KEY: Btu = British thermal unit; kWh = kilowatt hour; U = data are not available.

a Does not include electric power generation and distribution losses, which, if included, would triple the electric conversion factor given below and increase the numbers in this row by about 20 percent.

NOTE

The heat equivalent factors used in Btu conversion are: diesel = 138,700 Btu/gallon; electric = 3,412 Btu/kWh.

SOURCES

Revenue passenger-miles:

1975-2002: Amtrak, Amtrak Annual Report, Statistical Appendix (Washington, DC: Annual issues).

2003-2005: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts 2006 (Washington, DC: 2006), p. 77 and similar pages in earlier editions.

Locomotive fuel consumed:

1975-2001: Ibid., State and Local Affairs Department, personal communication.

2001-05: Amtrak personal communication as of Dec. 19, 2007.