This dataset represents the transportation service of 1 ton provided by a diesel locomotive over a distance of 1 kilometer. The dataset includes the production and maintenance of the diesel locomotive and the wagons, the construction of the railway track, as well as the energy usage and operational emissions of the freight train using diesel. The data on energy use and operational emissions mainly come from a comprehensive collection of industry surveys, standards, transportation yearbooks, and literature, representing the average level of the China region. The production and maintenance of the diesel locomotive and wagons, as well as the construction of railway tracks, are reasonably extrapolated based on relevant information from France.