- Freight Railroad Employees: 2,675
- Freight Railroads: 24
- Freight Rail Mileage: 3,210
- Environmental Impact: Moving freight by rail in Alabama in 2022 saved the equivalent of eight million trucks on the road, which helps lower emissions. On average, trains are three to four times more fuel efficient than trucks.
Freight Rail in Alabama: Facts and Economic Impact
What Moves by Rail
Tons in millions • 2023
Originated in Alabama
Commodity
Tons (M)
Carloads
Other
12.9
260,100
Coal
7.7
65,300
Steel products
5.4
60,300
Crushed stone & sand
5.2
46,300
Pulp & paper
4.1
53,400
Cement
3.0
28,400
Total
38.3M
513,800
Terminated in Alabama
Commodity
Tons (M)
Carloads
Coal
19.2
162,600
Other
11.1
190,200
Chemicals
3.7
39,000
Grain
3.1
29,000
Steel products
2.9
33,200
Waste & scrap
2.7
28,900
Total
42.7M
482,900
Carriers Operating in Alabama
Five Class I carriers and 19 short lines connect Alabama’s ports, mines, mills and farms to North American markets.
Class I Railroad Mileage
BNSF
231
Canadian National
22
CPKC
44
CSX
1,011
Norfolk Southern
1,304
Total Miles
2,612
Short Line Railroads
Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway
374
Alabama & Tennessee River Railway
120
Alabama Export Railroad
12
Alabama Southern Railroad
68
Alabama Warrior Railway
2
Autauga Northern Railroad
46
Bay Line Railroad
50
Birmingham Terminal Railway
76
Conecuh Valley Railroad
14
Eastern Alabama Railway
28
Georgia Southwestern Railroad
17
Luxapalila Valley Railroad
20
Meridian and Bigbee Railroad
158
R.J. Corman Railroad – Childersburg Line
13
Sequatchie Valley Switching
4
Tennessee Southern Railroad
20
Terminal Railway Alabama State Docks
8
Three Notch Railway
36
Wiregrass Central Railway
22
Total Miles
1,088
Contacts in Alabama
Government-affairs leads for the railroads operating in the state.
NORFOLK SOUTHERN
Elizabeth Kennedy Lawlor
Resident VP, Government Relations
Elizabeth.Lawlor@nscorp.com
Note: Data are for 2023 except for rail employment and truck equivalents, which are 2022. Total miles shown for the state exclude trackage rights, but miles shown for individual railroads include trackage rights. Some mileage and employment figures are estimates. Rail traffic figures are based on AAR analysis of industry data.