U.S. railroads have earned a reputation as one of the safest and most efficient transportation freight systems in the world. Since deregulated by the 1980 Staggers Act, railways have shifted from near bankruptcy to profitability, investing hundreds of billions of dollars in private capital into the network, even while competing against subsidized highways and canals, according to the American Association of Railroads (AAR).
The short story: U.S. railroads post-1980 spent tens of billions of dollars every year on upgrading tracks and locomotives, which has allowed the use of longer trains pulled by more efficient engines. In the 2020s, the major railways routinely run freight trains stretching up to three miles long or more.
Between 1980 and 2020, America’s freight railroads spent nearly $740 billion on capital expenditures and maintenance expenses, and have spent another $20 billion or more in the 2020s, reports the AAR.
The long trains and new powerful locom
