Are trains more energy efficient than trucks when traveling at the same speed?

Answer 1

Oh yes, much much more. Reasons is those tracks: steel on steel has much less friction than rubber on concrete or asphalt.
Another aspect is that trains do not have to deal with traffic most of the time, speed is more constant, and thus more regular; trucks have to be capable of brisker accelerations to blend in with the rest of the traffic, this means their engine are proportionally more powerful than they would need to be if there was no cars around them -- trains do not have that overdesign requirement.
Railroad cars have a much higher load fraction than trucks, that means that a train payload is a higher % of the overall train weight than it is in the case of a truck.
Since trains cannot do door to door delivery, this lack of flexibility has to be compensated by better efficiency, or else trains would have been replaced by trucking a long time ago.

Answer 2

Trains require greater energy to get up to speed, but the momentum, once achieved, is easier to maintain because of wind resistance vs. mass. Trucks change speeds more often which can also add to energy use.

To move the same cargo mass of, say, a half kilometer in length, you would need nearly two kilometers of bumper-to-bumper trucks. Since trucking largly has "more windshields" for the same cargo, we will see greater energy need.

Also, keep in mind that trucks run on petroleum products, where trains might use coal or electricity. There is need of greater energy to provide needed energy for trucks.

Answer 3

Yes trains are more efficient than trucks.

Answer 4

Yes. The static and dynamic friction between the wheels of the train and rail is much lesser than that between the tyres and the road. So they are much more energy effecient than the trucks.

Answer 5

Your question is incomplete.

Which gets more miles per gallon? --> Truck

Which get more miles per gallon per ton of payload? --> Train

But, a fully-loaded truck is more efficient than a mostly-empty train.

Answer 6

Depends what the trains are powered by. If they're electricity-powered, then yes.