Thus far, we have focused largely on how roads and interstate systems can bisect habitats in ways that can prevent species from migrating or making their way to breeding sites; moreover, when roadways bisect habitats, species run the risk of losing their biodiversity through inbreeding. Within the field of road ecology, however, there has been less focus on the ways that railroads and railway systems can similarly disrupt ecosystems as a result of train tracks and tunnel systems being constructed in vulnerable habitats. Railway systems perhaps receive less attention because they are less consistently traveled than roads and highways.

Wildlife Implications of Railways Versus Roadways

At the same time, it is also inaccurate to make an easy comparison between cars and trains, as they and their environmental implications are far from the same, and each has different impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity. While train traffic may be less frequent than car traffic, trains travel much faster than cars. Additionally, interstates and railways are also structurally and physically different, “especially in the case of electrified railways, where overhead lines along the rail tracks can represent an additional source of impacts. All these differences are likely to affect wildlife responses to roads and railways.” And while trains are often viewed as a more climate-friendly and sustainable mode of transportation compared to vehicles, they too contribute to pollution, wildlife deaths, and habitat fragmentation. That said, statistically, railways are significantly safer than roadways, at least for people and cargo.

As described by Borda-de-Água et al., a 2013 report by the European Railway Agency notes that the “fatality risk in the period 2008–2010 measured as the number of fatalities per billion passenger-km is 0.156 to railway passengers and 4.450 for car occupants. In fact, following the same report, transport safety is only surpassed by the airline industry with 0.101 fatalities per billion passenger-km.” Railways are also more environmentally friendly than roads because a diesel-powered train is more energy efficient than its equivalent number of cars, and an electric-powered train is not a direct source of greenhouse gas emissions. Railways generally also occupy less land than roads and interstates.