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Energy-saving and carbon reduction in the transportation industry are becoming important research issues in East Asia. Among various international policy-effect evaluation frameworks, the current study fi rst reviews taxation, pricing, and demand elasticity among car users. Second, it reviews the thinking behind the operation of rail systems, as well as the policies therein, and evaluations of their effi ciency and sustainability. In the United States, developments in train systems that took place between 1955 and 1975-including the thruport design for freight distribution-marked the fi rst wave of this trend. Between the mid-1990s and 2006 in East Asia, the growth of railway patronage numbers as a proportion of public transportation highlights the importance of integrating land-use plans and low-carbon transportation systems in working towards the creation of sustainable cities. Finally, energy-saving policies within the transportation industry need to be evaluated in terms of national socioeconomic background (i.e., calculations of Taiwan's carbon emissions reductions as a result of implementing high-speed rail, both during the feasibility study stage [before 1994] and the system's business operations [after 2007]). Lessons drawn from past experiences are summarized, and East Asian perspectives (especially those of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) are suggested.