Rail Studies

The United States is currently dependent on imported petroleum, which results in tremendous economic and national security problems.

71% of petroleum use in the United States is in the transportation sector.

Freight rail is more energy efficient than trucking for moving goods, and commuter and intercity passenger rail are more energy efficient than car trips and short-haul air travel for moving people.

American could make great progress towards energy independence by enacting policies to encourage more freight and passengers to move by rail.

APTA's Policy Development and Research department published a paper highlighting the role that public transit plays in portecting Americans from price volatility, as well as strategies that can buffer Americans from future gas price shocks. 

This report released by the U.S. Department of Treasury with the Council of Economic Advisers finds that now is the key time to invest in infrastructure to create middle-class jobs, increase our long-term competiveness, and support a more secure energy future.

OneRail has produced this overview of jobs in the rail industry, including freight and passenger employment numbers and capital expenditures.  

The Capitol Corridor is a 170-mile intercity passenger rail system providing convenient travel to the nearly 3.75 million people residing between San Jose, Oakland, Richmond, and Sacramento along the congested I-80, I-680 and I-880 freeways by operating fast, reliable and affordable intercity rail service to 16 passengerrail stations.

The 1,031-mile Heartland Corridor is a public-private partnership among Norfolk Southern and federal and state agencies to increase vertical clearances in 28 tunnels and remove 24 overhead obstructions to allow passage of double-stacked container trains between the Port of Virginia and Columbus, Ohio.

The CREATE Program was developed as a first-of-its-kind partnership between U.S.
DOT, the State of Illinois, City of Chicago, Metra, Amtrak, and the nation's freight railroads in order to make critically needed capital improvements to increase the efficiency of the region's passenger and freight rail infrastructure and enhance the quality of life for Chicago-area residents.

The 86-mile train route connecting Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Chicago, Illinois has been a part of the Amtrak system since its inception, following a long history of operation by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad. In 1989, Wisconsin and Illinois jointly funded a demonstration project that added two daily round trips to the service. The demonstration proved successful. The two states have jointly funded Amtrak’s Hiawatha Service ever since.

Investments in transportation infrastructure have substantial economic benefits, in both the short and the long run. Evidence of these benefits is clearly visible in many of the infrastructure projects that have recently been completed throughout the country.

This report from the White House outlines recent examples of the economic benefits from investing in infrastructure.

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The American Public Transportation Association released an updated report making the case for investment in the public transportation industry by detailing the enormous growth in ridership, service provided, and funding levels. The report reinforces that there has been a steady growth trend over the past three decades and it is now a $55 billion industry.

According to the report, America’s public transit systems carried more than 10 billion passenger trips for the fifth consecutive year in 2010, the highest levels since 1957. It also shows support for better public...

In 2005 a study prepared for the Maine Department of Transportation predicted that service improvements on the Downeaster and service extensions to additional Maine destinations would lead to increased ridership and the beginning of economic benefits for communities served by passenger rail. Three years later: 

• Downeaster ridership rose 32% in Fiscal Year 2006, 5% in FY 2007, and 20% already in FY 2008. On the Rockland Branch ridership rose 26% from 2006 to 2007.

• In Old Orchard Beach two hotels and a $20 million residential & retail complex have...

The Capitol Corridor is an intercity passenger rail route that provides a convenient and environmentally responsible choice for people traveling along the congested I-80, I-680, and I-880 freeways by operating safe, frequent, reliable, and affordable service to 17 stations in eight Northern California counties: Placer, Sacramento, Yolo, Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Francisco, and Santa Clara.

With nearly 1.6 million passengers annually, the Capitol Corridor is the third busiest Amtrakoperated route in the nation. As manager of the Capitol Corridor service since October...

Our nation faces substantial challenges. In the current environment of economic hardship and unsustainable budget deficits, tough decisions are required. However, political partisanship and division make collaborative and timely decision-making extremely difficult. And yet, as at other points in our nation’s history, trying times can create new opportunities to confront some of America’s most compelling challenges.

In particular, the looming budget challenges that have stymied progress on a new surface transportation bill can provide the impetus for needed reform of the federal...