Eight Unbelievable Facts About America’s Freight Railroads

Bet you didn’t know these!

Supporting the world’s largest economy is no small task. Every day, thousands of customers rely upon American freight railroads to safely and efficiently transport everything from the food on your table to the energy resources that power your home. What does it take to keep America’s economy moving 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year?

60 football fields: The length of the longest freight train in American history

4 American time zones: First established by freight railroads in 1883

107.3 billion pounds of steel: The amount of steel contained in America’s freight rail network

6,667 Eiffel Towers: Could be built with all that steel

489.4 million railroad ties: The number of railroad ties maintained by Class I freight railroads

5.6 trips around the Earth: The length of America’s freight rail network laid end-to-end

473 miles: How far a freight train can move a ton of freight on one gallon of fuel

75 percent: The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions achieved by moving freight by rail instead of truck

From Freight Rail Works

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1 Comment

  1. SSB Star says:

    Interesting facts indeed. Thanks for sharing information.