[oilfreeandhappy]

I've looked around the boards and haven't found much on this topic. If I missed it, I apologize. I know that the smelting of iron ore for steel is incredibly energy intensive. Even if autos are recycled, I would think the needed energy is very high. Cars have a lesser life-span than light rail and heavy rail cars. On a Light Rail board, I heard numerous stories about 40-year-old rail cars in very fine condition. I saw some data that mentioned that cars have improved to around a 12-year life-span.

I've looked for other data to support my arguments that our current oil/auto infrastructure requires much more steel than Rail infractructure, but I can't find much data. Besides the obvious steel in cars and trucks, bridges, barriers, and steel grids laid in the highways, are some other examples. Can anybody help me with any data to support this argument?
Or perhaps point me to a thread I may have missed.
Jim Gagnepain
http://home.comcast.net/~oil_free_and_happy/

[Wildwell]

Industry standard lifespan:

Car 150,000 miles or 12 years
Truck 250,000 miles or 15 years
Bus 500,000 miles or 18 years
Rail vehicle 8-10 million miles or 30-40 years, there are cases of vehicles in service at double this lifespan EG Isle of Wight

UK Steel consumption 15 million tonnes (average). World steel consumption 945.2 million tonnes of that China was 340 million tonnes.

Of UK steel consumption rails: 100,000 tonnes pa. Automotive sector is 16% of steel, excluding construction (Bridge fabrication, concrete re-enforcement).

http://www.uksteel.org.uk/fact4.htm

[oilfreeandhappy]

Wildwell,
Thanks for the reply. The link is excellent, and it also has some links with even more great information.

Looks like even in a country like the UK, where mass transit is much more prevalent than the US, the auto industry uses much more steel than the rail industry.
Jim Gagnepain
http://home.comcast.net/~oil_free_and_happy/