National Rail Freight Infrastructure Capacity and Investment Study

This study is an assessment of the long-term capacity expansion needs of the continental U.S. freight railroads. It provides a first approximation of the rail freight infrastructure improvements and investments needed to meet the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) projected demand for rail freight transportation in 2035. The U.S. DOT estimates that the demand for rail freight transportation—measured in tonnage—will increase 88 percent by 2035. The study focuses on 52,340 miles of primary rail freight corridors, which carry the preponderance of rail freight traffic. These corridors, which constitute about one-third of all continental U.S. rail freight miles, are expected to absorb the bulk of the forecast traffic and nearly all of the investment to expand capacity. The study estimates the need for new tracks, signals, bridges, tunnels, terminals, and service facilities in the primary corridors. The study does not estimate the cost of acquiring additional land, locomotives, and freight cars, or the cost of replacing and updating existing track, facilities, locomotives, and freight cars. The study assumes no shift in modal tonnage shares among rail, truck, and water beyond those projected by the U.S. DOT. The study does not forecast passenger rail demand or estimate future passenger rail capacity needs; however, capacity is provided for the long-distance Amtrak and local commuter passenger rail services that are currently operated over rail freight lines. Additional investment, beyond that projected in this report, will be needed if the freight railroads host increased levels of passenger rail service. This study estimates that an investment of $148 billion (in 2007 dollars) for infrastructure expansion over the next 28 years is required to keep pace with economic growth and meet the U.S. DOT’s forecast demand. Of this amount, the Class I freight railroads’ share is projected to be $135 billion and the short line and regional freight railroads’ share is projected to be $13 billion. Without this investment, 30 percent of the rail miles in the primary corridors will be operating above capacity by 2035, causing severe congestion that will affect every region of the country and potentially shift freight to an already heavily congested highway system.

• Record URL:
  http://www.aar.org/PubCommon/Documents/natl_freight_capacity_study.pdf
• Corporate Authors:

  Association of American Railroads

  50 F Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001-1564

  Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated

  100 Cambridge Park Drive, Suite 400
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02140
• Publication Date: 2007-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 69p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Demand; Economic growth; Freight traffic; Freight trains; Improvements; Infrastructure; Investments; Railroad bridges; Railroad facilities; Railroad terminals; Railroad tracks; Railroad traffic; Railroad tunnels; Railroads; Regional railroads; Short line railroads; Traffic congestion
• Uncontrolled Terms: Class I railroads; Railroad capacity; Railroad corridors
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Subject Areas: Economics; Freight Transportation; Railroads; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01079294
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 22 2007 10:13AM