How many railroads are left in the US?

There are seven major railroads in the United States (Class I railroads) and over 500 shortline and regional railroads (Class II & Class III railroads). These lines are critical for shippers needing an economical solution to long-haul transportation. See our interactive maps below.



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Running on almost 140,000 route miles, the U.S. freight rail network is widely considered the largest, safest, and most cost-efficient freight system in the world.

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This is an interactive map of the major freight railroads, also known as class I railroads in the United States. They include CSX, Norfolk Southern (NS), Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF), Union Pacific (UP), Canadian Pacific (CP), Canadian National Railway (CN), and the Kansas City Southern (KCS).

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According to the statistics portal Statista, Union Pacific of the USA is worth a massive $75.4 billion, making it comfortably the biggest rail company in the world.

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Union Pacific is the largest railroad in North America, covering 23 states across the western two-thirds of the United States.

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The numerous freight and passenger trains coursing through Chicago define the city as the nation's railroad hub.

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Why Chicago, the U.S.'s Busiest Railroad Hub, Is So Vulnerable to Strikes.

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Bill Gates acquired 54.8 Million Canadian National Railway shares worth $5.94 Billion. That's 15.02% of their entire equity portfolio (3rd largest holding). The investor owns 8.29% of the outstanding Canadian National Railway stock. The first Canadian National Railway trade was made in Q3 2002.

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American railways were also built on a wider gauge (the distance between the rails), which allows for larger and heavier trains. As a result, American freight railways are much more efficient than their European counterparts, carrying almost three times as much cargo per mile of track.

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The US rail network, with an operating route length over 250,000km, is the biggest in the world. Freight lines constitute about 80% of the country's total rail network, while the total passenger network spans about 35,000km.

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Most of us enjoy walking off-road. But did you know there are disused railway lines all over the country where you can enjoy a walk that is flat, traffic-free and often suitable for bikes, pushchairs and wheelchairs too? A railway walk is the perfect way to get moving whatever the time of year.

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While the US was a passenger train pioneer in the 19th century, after WWII, railways began to decline. The auto industry was booming, and Americans bought cars and houses in suburbs without rail connections. Highways (as well as aviation) became the focus of infrastructure spending, at the expense of rail.

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Top 5 2022 Railroads
  • BNSF Railway – $25.9 Billion Revenue.
  • 2 . Union Pacific Railroad – $24.9 Billion Revenue.
  • CSX Transportation – $14.9 Billion Revenue.
  • Norfolk Southern Railway – $12.7 Billion Revenue.
  • Canadian National Railway – $12.4 Billion Revenue.
  • Sources and Tools Used.


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Does the Amtrak train go to all the states in America? Amtrak has no rail service at all to Wyoming, South Dakota, Hawaii and Alaska.

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Book overview. The first illustrated history of the people, machines, facilities, and operations that made Chicago the hub around which an entire continent's rail industry still revolves.

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Chicago is North America's largest rail hub, and remains unsurpassed in the total number of passenger and freight trains that converge on any city on the continent. Chicago is a major hub for Amtrak, with 15 different lines terminating at the city's Union Station.

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It probably comes as no surprise that in a global 2019 survey of railroad efficiency, the top two places went to Japan and Hong Kong, with scores of 6.8 and 6.5 (out of seven) respectively.

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Union Pacific's Bailey Yard in North Platte, Nebraska is the largest railroad classification yard in the world. Named in honor of former Union Pacific President Edd H. Bailey, the massive yard covers 2,850 acres, reaching a total length of eight miles.

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The Angel's Flight, USA With a rather beautiful name, found in the razzle and dazzle of Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, the Angel's Flight is regarded by many as the shortest railway in the world.

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CP has been the safest railroad in North America for 17 straight years as measured by the Federal Railroad Administration train accident frequency ratio. In 2022, CP had an all-time best frequency of 0.93, a rate nearly half what the company produced a decade ago and 69 percent lower than the Class 1 average.

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