One of the winners of tomorrow’s U.S. economy could be one of the icons of its past: its railroads.

Stretching more than 140,000 miles of track coast-to-coast, the U.S. rail network is set to play a critical part in meeting the growing domestic demand for efficient goods transport.

President Trump’s “America first” agenda is prioritizing delivering America’s economic needs through American industry. Meanwhile, geopolitical and economic uncertainty is causing more companies to onshore their operations in the United States. A KPMG survey published in 2024 found 81 percent of U.S.-based executives say their companies are bringing back more of their supply chains due to global challenges. This research was conducted ahead of the introduction of tariffs, which will further amplify this trend.

Together, these factors will increase demand on the country’s domestic rail networks. This is an opportunity of a scale the sector has not seen in decades, including