MANSFIELD, Ohio — Freight trains aren’t very visible to average Ohioans and probably don’t get thought of much except when they happen to be filling up a rail crossing, the Mansfield News Journal reported.
But they play an important role in the lives of just about everyone.
According to Tom White of the Association of American Railroads, the trade association of major North American railroads, 40 percent of the freight tonnage shipped annually on the continent moves by rail. Trucks handle 30 percent, ships carry about 15 percent and most of the balance goes by pipeline.
White expects total tonnage carried by rail to grow along with the economy.
“We believe there is a strong future for freight railroads,” he said.
One reason for the optimistic prediction is that rail transportation is much more efficient than truck transport. Trains use one-third the fuel per ton per mile as trucks. Also, less pollution is produced, White said.
The fastest-growing segment of the rail transport business is intermodal transport, in which freight containers are taken by truck to a rail yard, then loaded onto trains for long-distance transport. At the end of the line, the trailers are unloaded and trucked to their final destinations. During the last 20 years, the number of trailer/containers transported this way has grown from three million annually to nine million.
“That will continue to grow because shippers see the savings,” White said. “In fact, one of our biggest customers is UPS.”
As intermodal transport expanded, the rail industry underwent a structural transformation. Twenty years ago, there were 27 major rail lines, known as “Class 1 carriers,” and about 200 smaller, regional carriers called “short lines.” Today, there are only seven Class 1 carriers, but about 550 short lines.
In many cases, the short lines were parts of major carriers who decided they weren’t profitable enough to bother with. They were sold to new owners who could operate them at a lower cost.
Art Arnold, president of the Ohio Railroad Association, said the short lines play a key role in smaller cities and for industries in largely rural areas.
“They’ve been a real success story,” he said. “They’ve contributed to the safety of these communities by taking trucks off the highway in areas that don’t have four-lane highways. Without them, industry would have difficulty getting product in and out.”
That truck-traffic reduction also helps reduce congestion on major highways such as Interstate 71.
“One freight train is equal to 500 trucks,” White said.