How many trains are there in the US?

With more than 28,000 locomotives, 1.6 million rail cars and freight rail lines spanning across 140,000 miles, America's freight rail system is perfectly positioned to be the most efficient and cost-effective transportation network covering the 3.12 million square miles of the continental U.S.



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As of 2020, Texas was the U.S. state with the largest railroad mileage, reaching over 10,400 miles. It represented around 7.6 percent of the total mileage for the United States.

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While the United States has the largest overall rail network, China boasts the largest highspeed rail network. In 2021 the country operated nearly 40,500 kilometers of highspeed rail lines.

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Deutsche Bahn operates more than 40,000 trains daily on its more than 33,300 kilometer-long, modern rail network - which is also open to competition. The there are 5,700 train stations.

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Planning a trip to all the states by train is quite the endeavor. Amtrak has stops in 46 states - but many of the trips originate out of main hubs in Chicago and northeast coast cities like New York and Washington D.C. Therefore visiting the 46 states in one trip would require some serious backtracking.

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

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The peak was recorded in 1990, with a total of about 66,000 locomotives and railcars. By 2005, the number of locomotives and railcars declined, reaching the lowest of 49,551 units. In 2019, locomotives and railcars stock amounted to around 65,000 units.

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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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The simple answer is that most railroads in Europe are government owned, while most railroads in America are private.

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The Federal Railroad Administration does not currently set any limits on train lengths – and also doesn't regularly track train lengths or their associated risks. That has allowed freight railroad companies to occasionally operate trains up to 8 kilometres (5 miles) long.

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Trains are everywhere in Europe. Some trains travel at high speed across the continent, while others move around leisurely, either by day or night.

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