Across all markets trains cost about 1/3 to deliver goods per ton mile[0]. And that’s before you consider the fact that roads are largely maintained on the public purse, representing a large hidden subsidy to the trucking industry that does the majority of damage to them. The issue is often that we don’t have enough rail, either to handle volume or to enough places.
Last mile will have to be trucks, of course. But those short routes are both more variable and shorter, making them easier targets for electrification. It’s the long haul stuff that’s the low hanging fruit here.
