1980: Movie Star Politicians, Star Wars & the Staggers Rail Act
1980 may seem like eons ago, when CNN first launched and new wave pop played over the airwaves. But what happened that year for the freight rail industry left an indelible mark in history and is still surprisingly relevant today: Congress passed the Staggers Rail Act, which laid the foundation for our country’s modern freight rail network.
Here’s to Another 40 Years: How Policymakers Can Help Rail Meet the Challenges of Today & Tomorrow
Staggers was a fundamental moment in freight rail’s legacy, setting railroads on track to become one of the safest, most efficient and cost-effective transportation networks in the world. To keep our nation moving forward, it’s imperative that federal policymakers and regulators — now and in the future — protect the smart regulatory framework borne of this groundbreaking bipartisan legislation.
Freight Railroads are Laying Tracks Today for Economic Recovery Tomorrow
During the recovery phase, America’s freight railroads’ steadfast commitment will remain clear as they transport what the country needs to return to normal, including food, chemicals for clean water, consumer goods, construction materials and motor vehicles.
Job #1 During the Pandemic is Keeping Railroad Employees Safe & Healthy The only way that railroads can do their job for America in this time of national crisis is to first ensure the health and safety of their unwavering and dedicated employees. From following CDC procedures to social distancing, railroads continue to safeguard the nation’s essential rail workers.
Investments
Freight Rail’s Investments Generate Huge Returns for America America’s freight rail industry is one of the most efficient transportation networks in the world, fueled by an average of $26 billion annually in private investments to maintain and upgrade the nation’s nearly 140,000-mile rail network.
Meeting the Demands of the Digital Age By spending billions of dollars in private capital on infrastructure, equipment and technology, freight railroads are helping to solve a national transportation capacity crisis while keeping the economy moving.
Jobs, Output & Taxes: Freight Rail’s Economic Impact Towson University finds that Class I railroads’ operations and capital investment supported over 1.1 million jobs, $219.5 billion in economic output and $71.3 billion in wages in 2017 alone.
Prioritizing Safety Means Prioritizing Workforce for Rail Industry Freight rail is delivering on its commitment to safety and its workforce through cutting-edge technology to protect and empower employees — from drones to ultrasound, smart sensors and Positive Train Control.
6 Ways Freight Rail Gets Techie The nation’s freight railroads put technology to work every day to make the network safer and more efficient.
The Eyes & Ears of Freight Rail See how technologies once found only in the pages of science fiction novels help make this possible.
360 Degrees: Freight Rail’s Holistic Approach to Safety Thanks in part to ongoing rail investments in infrastructure, operations, technology and community preparedness, recent years have been among the safest in the history of the rail industry.
Today’s Railroads Can Predict the Future. Here’s How
Using machine learning and Big Data, railroads identify patterns and predict what elements of their private, 140,000-mile network may soon need to be repaired or replaced.
Every Week is Rail Safety Week
From virtual reality videos to national safety campaigns, see how railroads aim to stop these preventable tragedies year round.
Hazmat Safety
Why Freight Rail is the Safest Mode for Hazmat More than 99.99% of all hazmat moved by rail reaches its destination without a release caused by a train accident. Railroads will never rest until the industry is accident-free.
Protecting the Environment for Future Generations From technology that reduces idling to improved freight car design, railroads are investing in new equipment and pioneering fresh ways of efficiently running greener operations.
Locomotive or Supercomputer?
Discover how technology helps freight railroads preserve the natural environment while mitigating the effects of climate change.
Policy
Why the USMCA Will Benefit Freight Railroads & Their Customers With USMCA entering into force, freight railroads continue their work to keep supply chains moving, fuel economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and execute a vision toward the future.
The Real Cost of Heavier Trucks Increasing trucks from 80,000 pounds to 91,000 pounds would further subsidize commercial highway users at the expense of taxpayers, exacerbate deterioration of crumbling infrastructure and disadvantage a critical freight rail industry.
Freight Rail: Designed to Drive a Nation Freight railroads are part of every production stage of an automobile — from moving raw materials and auto parts to delivering a finished car or truck to dealerships across the nation. With a single train carrying hundreds of cars, freight rail transports nearly 75% of the new cars and light trucks purchased in the U.S.
