Why has there been a decline in rail transport?

Question

I'm talking more specifically about frieght, since I know decline in passengers has been affected by air travel, but all answers welcome.

Answer 1

As highball, Hoghead, and Robert have already stated, a number of the above answers are completely inaccurate in terms of trucks being cheaper (per ton) than railroads.  Nothing is more efficient at moving freight and passengers than railroads, per fuel mile.  And the 75% reduction in rail miles is well off.  At its peak in 1916 the railroads topped out at roughly 254,000 miles and today, as of a 2002 figure, total U.S. miles are roughly 142,000 (or about a 44% drop).  

As has been mentioned above the loss in freight traffic to the railroads occurred mainly because of the federally funded Interstate highway system, trucks which are more efficient at moving short-haul freight, airlines, and sever regulation by the government (the 1970s were the true low point for the railroads).  

After the 1980 Staggers Act heavily deregulated the railroads, they have rebounded leaps and bounds, to a point where now they are truly hitting another "Golden Age" as they find themselves in the unfamiliar spot of having a capacity shortage (i.e., supply is not equaling demand).  And, as the highways only become more clogged and we try to find even more ways to reduce pollution my guess is that this new "Golden Age" will continue on for many years to come.

Answer 2

It's really just about speed and service.  It should be obvious that trucking is much more expensive, because of the fuel consumption (the train tracks are level, and there's much less wind resistance per ton of freight) and the labor (would you rather pay 2 guys to pull 40 tons, or 4000 tons?)

The advantage of trucking is they come right to your dock, faster. Consolidation (merging of railroads) has put railroad companies in a position that they don't really think they need to give good service, and believe me, they don't give it.  It's awful.

These things can change over time.  High fuel prices favor the railroad.  The government plays a role, because they tax truck fuel and pay for the roads, but they don't have to pay for railroads.  They either create an advantage or a disadvantage based on what the taxes cost vs. what the Railroads have to pay to keep track up.  The government doesn't contribute much toward track repair, but they can in some situations.

Answer 3

Look at the stock prices of BNSF, UNP, CNX....    They are all very high now.    A year or two ago RR's weren't able to deliver all the coal ordered for power plants; they didn't have enough track to run all the trains on.     Short haul shipping (on ships) from the west coast to Texas was put into place because the tracks were so congested.

As for passengers, if Amtrak got subsidized as much as the airlines we would have the best rail system in the world.

Answer 4

Limited direct lines.slower,air freight.Trucks are more effecint and can take freight from point a to b without loading and loading several times.But most likly rail lines are old and in need of repair which is costly and maintaining locomotives and cars are very expensive.

Answer 5

If you were to look at a US map of the railway system from 1940 and compare it to today you will see that 75% of the tracks are gone. Shipping freight by rail takes time, too much time. Diesel train engines burn more fuel than trucks do and the trucks can go from NY to CA legally in 2 days with 2 drivers, a train can't. Anymore a train can't "really" travel North to South or vice versa as the central US hub is Chicago and virtually all trains must go through that point to go West or East. Frozen freight such as food products would be weeks old by the time they traveled from NY to CA on a train as the cars sometimes sit in a rail-yard 2-3 days before departing again. Its just not feesable anymore, 40yrs ago yes, today no.

Answer 6

Actually, the tonnage has gone up in the last few decades with the increase in inter-modal container transport...

YES, door-to-door or town-to-town service isn't as prevalent... but bulk material such a coal, grain, lumber, plastics are certainly being shipped from producer to distribution centers.  New automobiles do most of their long-distance travel by train.

I DID like two points made by others... 1) the fact that the railroads build and maintain their lines at their cost without major subsidies from the government. 2) the power of the trucking unions.

Answer 7

here in the US, the rail system was put in place back in the 40's to transport coal and booze. technological advances and faster demands for products has made it less used for those overnight, two day transportation. In addition to the higher costs associated with maintaining the rail infrastructure has force this private sector to pass on higher fees to those companies trying to utilize the rail system as an alternative.  Other issue suck as derailment of products is becoming a higher concerns for a lot of companies since the rails are not service adequately. This means that whenever there is an accident a good amount of the merchandise is lost/damaged which looks very bad for the company shipping the product and causes inconveniences for the customer.  Little by little the rail system is deteriorating and little is being done to preserve it.   :(

Answer 8

I am a rail buff, but my love does not interfer with reality.  Trains cannot pick up at your door, nor deliver to the customer's door, in most cases.  Trains are better suited for heavy or large shipments, like coal, cars, or 500,000 jars of mayonaisse going to a supermarket warehouse.

Railroad rates are cheaper with those shipments, but most shippers in the US ship LTL, less than truckload.  In that scale, the railroad could never compete with time and cost.  

One disadvantage the railroad has is it has to maintain its own rail lines.  The road system is maintained by all vehicles and taxpayers.  The intermodel system has allowed the rail sytem to work with the trucking industry.  It helps both.

I love railroads, but I know their limitations.

Answer 9

Your figures are incorrect.  

The railroads are moving more volume of traffic than ever before, with fewer lines, as correctly pointed out above, and fewer people.

The trains are heavier and longer than ever.  Even time sensitive freight travels by rail, courtesy of booming inter-modal traffic.  Shipping "just in time inventory," while at times risky, since a delayed shipment may mean a temporary shut down, most shippers prefer this type of service, as it eliminates warehousing and distribution problems and the associated costs.

There are certainly cross-country shipments by highway, but in most instances, most highway feight is shipped less than 700 miles...  from a railroad inter-modal facility.

Freight operations are here to stay, my friends....

So, smile, wave and be friendly to the hapless souls trapped in the cab.  After all, that pound of butter you're going to buy next week may be in one of the refrigerated semi-trailers they're pullin'.

Answer 10

hello. I do not know the answer, interesting to me and 'us' was/is the construction of a 'new' railway access to the long beach harbor in LA back when, and THEN the truckers wanted to have a fuller delivery route, etc. a major conflict, transportation is. America's well beyond the Erie Canal mindset. : }

Answer 11

Trucks are actually much less efficient in terms of fuel, and labor costs are significantly cheaper when shipping by rail. I'm not sure where the above answers are coming from...