Are railroads becoming obsolete?

No. Trains continue to be the cheapest form of long distance land transportation for freight there is. Ships and barges can carry more cargo for less, but they cannot transit the large land masses and certainly not as fast. Long Haul Trucks are the closest comparison but they cannot compete either.



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In a world becoming ever more urbanised, rail travel is well matched to urban needs. High-speed rail can serve as an alternative to short-distance air travel, and conventional and freight rail can complement other transport modes to provide efficient mobility.

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The simple answer is, “Because we don't want them.” The slightly longer answer is, “because the fastest trains are slower than flying; the most frequent trains are less convenient than driving; and trains are almost always more expensive than either flying or driving.”

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By the time the 1970s ended, the glory days of railroading were over. Emblematic of the period was the case of Pennsylvania Railroad, which, in 1968 merged with arch-competitor New York Central.

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While trucking and shipping companies have begun to recover from these issues, the railroad industry has struggled more in 2022 than it did at the beginning of the pandemic.

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Privately-owned passenger rail lines are popping up in the U.S. which could make getting to popular vacation destinations easier. Travelers could soon have more options to get where they're going, thanks to new train routes.

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Levels of autonomous trains While full driverless autonomy is certainly technically possible, and is applied on various routes worldwide, it still accounts for only a tiny percentage of trains running today. New trains are still being designed and built with fully equipped driver cabins.

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Japan: Japan is often praised for having one of the world's most efficient and punctual railway systems. The country is known for its high-speed Shinkansen (bullet trains) and extensive network of commuter and regional trains. Japan's commitment to safety, cleanliness, and customer service is also noteworthy.

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Railroads have the largest profit margins in American business. > For the nation as a whole, profit margins generally sit at about 9% (8.89% to be precise), however, in transport, specifically railroads, this stands at 50.93%, the highest in the US. https://ajot.com/news/railroads-are-usas-most-profitable-ind...

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One of the limiting factors in a train's speed is the track itself. If the train goes faster around a curve than the track is designed for, it's going to derail. Changing a vehicle's speed is pretty easy but relaying a lot of track is not so easy. See this wiki article on high speed rail.

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Another reason why railroad transport is better than road travel is the fuel efficiency they offer compared to hiring vehicles. Railways can consume up to nine times less fuel for every ton they carry for a kilometer, making trucks fuel inefficient compared to railroad transport.

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Railroads Were at the Forefront of Political Corruption “Railroads need monopoly franchises and subsidies, and to get them, they are more than willing to bribe public officials,” White says. The Central Pacific Railroad, for example, spent $500,000 annually in thinly disguised bribes between 1875 and 1885.

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Misguided railroad regulation was a major factor behind the rail industry's decline. For example, the ICC set maximum and minimum rates for rail shipments, with rates often unrelated to costs or demand.

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Railroads made it possible to move across long distances quickly and easily. They made the world shrink—not literally, of course! But they truly revolutionized people's habits and how they saw the world. For many people, it was their first experience with the big machines that characterized the Industrial Revolution.

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