“We are collaborating with the Port to create the country’s first RailGreen Corridor by connecting Norfolk Harbor with the VIP,” NS Chief Sustainability Officer Josh Raglin said in a May 6 LinkedIn post. “Shippers using our daily service to and from VIP can now participate in RailGreen—the first-of-its-kind emissions reduction program for rail.”
Shipping by rail vs. truck reduces emissions 75% on average, according to NS. Freight customers, it said, can address the remaining 25% of emissions through RailGreen, which the railroad launched in March. “Emissions within a company’s supply chain are one of the hardest to track and tackle … RailGreen makes it possible,” it reported.
How does RailGreen work? NS’s biofuel use in locomotives is third-party certified, generating RailGreen certificates. Customers can purchase these certificates to apply toward their supply chain emissions. As customers purchase certificates, NS said it acquires more low-carbon biofuel.
“Blockchain-backed Environmental Attribute Certificates from 123Carbon—the leading, independent book-and-claim platform—ensure each metric ton of reduced emission is tracked to avoid double counting,” NS explained. “Third-party validation verifies carbon-reducing activities against international standards.”
RailGreen builds on Norfolk Southern’s commitment to achieve a 42% reduction in scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2034, according to Josh Raglin. “It also expands The Port of Virginia’s environmental commitments, which includes eliminating all carbon emissions by 2040,” he reported via social media. The Port, Raglin added, “is regarded as one of America’s most sustainable ports,” pointing out that “all its terminals are powered with 100% clean energy.”
“Rail is already the most sustainable way to transport goods over land, and we’re not resting on that advantage,” NS Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Ed Elkins said during the RailGreen Corridor announcement on May 6. “By working with The Port of Virginia, we’ve created a green-shipping solution for customers transporting goods to and from the coast.”
“The goal is to provide cargo owners options,” Virginia Port Authority CEO and Executive Director Stephen A. Edwards added. “With more and more cargo owners emphasizing their interest in modern, cleaner supply chains, this effort goes right to that point.”
To learn more about the RailGreen program, click here.
