New Delhi. Today, trains are the most accessible and cheapest means of travel and freight transportation across the world. In India, Railways is called the lifeline of the country. Our rail network is the fourth largest rail network in the world. But, do you know which country in the world has the longest and largest rail network? If you don’t know, we will tell you. America has the longest railway network in the world. According to the US Department of Transportation and the Association of American Railroads, America’s railway network extends for more than 2,20,000 kilometers. This length is so huge that five rounds of the earth can be made. This network not only connects cities, but is also the backbone of keeping America’s economy strong.
Instead of government control like other countries, America kept the railways largely in private hands, especially for freight trains. Due to this, the railway network expanded rapidly and America reached a level of rail network where no other country in the world has access even today. There is one more special thing. In terms of high speed trains, America is still lagging behind the rest of the world including Japan and China. Although maximum number of trains run here, their speed is only average.
The story started 225 years ago
This railway story of America began in the 1800s. The insistence on connecting the eastern and western parts of the country had created a race among the railway companies. She wanted to prove who could connect the country from one end to the other first. When the first transcontinental rail line was completed in 1869, America’s fortunes seemed to change. Over time, small railway operators combined to become giant companies, many of which are still the biggest names in American railways today. Companies like Union Pacific, BNSF Railway and CSX are still carrying this huge system on their shoulders.
Photo Credit: BNSF
Focus on freight instead of passenger trains
Europe and Japan are considered world leaders in high-speed passenger trains. But when it comes to freight transportation, America seems to be at the forefront. The railway system here is mainly based on freight rail. About 28% of America’s goods are transported through railways. Even today, goods trains are given priority in transporting coal, grains, cars, oil, wood, machines etc. from one place to another.
Passenger train services like Amtrak are government-owned, but most of the tracks are owned by private freight companies. This is the reason why the development of high-speed trains in America remained slow, but this country is still unmatched in freight transportation. You will be surprised to know that in America, a single goods train carries as much goods as 280 trucks combined. It costs the same amount of money to transport one ton of cargo 480 miles as one gallon of fuel. This expense is much less than transportation of goods by road.
Railways is the heartbeat of America’s economy
American Railways is not just a network of tracks, but it is the heartbeat of the country’s economy. It is the largest carrier of coal, grain, automobiles, containers and industrial goods nationally. The country’s ports, cities, industrial centres, rural areas, all become part of a huge supply chain by connecting to this rail system. Railways generate billions of dollars of economic activity annually and also continuously invest in infrastructure. America’s rail system is not just a transportation network, it is a story of hard work, foresight and a dream that made a country a superpower.
