THE average freight train takes 110 trucks off the road, new economic research shows.
And one passenger train removes 525 cars from the road, says a study, by Deloitte Access Economics for the Australasian Railway Association.
The study says a road congestion charge and a per-tonne charge on trucks should one day apply across Australia.
It says that over 2008, local, state and federal governments spent a combined $12 billion on road projects, compared with about $2 billion on railway construction.
The researchers found that for every trip made by rail and not by road, there was a reduction in costs to society of between $3 and $8.50.
The association's chief executive, Brian Nye, said Australia had to end its ''love affair with cars'' and recognise the benefits of its railways.
The trucking industry questioned some of the study's claims.....