The first mode that we are going to discuss is Rail. Historically, the rail system has moved the largest number of ton-miles in the US. A ton-mile is a standard measurement that combines weight and distance.
In the past rail ranked number one in the number of miles, but there has been a decline in the amount of rail track.
In 1970, there was over 200K of track… that was down to 95K in 2005.
Rail has high fixed cost (expensive equipment, switching yards, and track maintenance), but it has low variable costs
The current focus of the rail industry is on carload, intermodal and container shipments.
New technology in the rail world is articulated cars, unit trains and double stack cars.