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How Heavy and Oversized Cargo Benefits from the Rail Network in the USA
This article first appeared in the Railway-News magazine, Issue 1 2023.
Rail transport may be the most effective method for delivering big and enormous cargo when the cargo satisfies specific requirements.
Carloads that are wider than 325 centimetres and taller than 335 centimetres, or that weigh more than 68 metric tons, need special approval. The railroad then decides if such dimensions or high/wide loads are feasible based on a clearance process that considers the intended move’s routing, distance and other technical criteria. When transporting large items over long distances, rail transport is often more affordable than other modes of transportation.
The U.S. Department of Transportation claims that with a length of approximately 225,000 kilometres, the US rail freight network is the longest, safest and most economical freight system in the world. There are roughly 72,500 route kilometres covered by short lines. The nearly USD 80 billion freight rail business is served by seven Class I railroads, 22 regional and 584 local line railroads. This industry supports over 167,000 jobs in the USA. Additionally, rail freight provides advantages that no other mode of transportation can, including lower costs for logistics, upkeep of public infrastructure, and decreases in fuel consumption, traffic incidents, congestion on the roads and greenhouse gas emissions. A major portion of North America is accessible by the North American railways, which are also continuously increasing their capacity.
Moving dimensions and heavy lift cargo by rail in the USA is possible thanks to the relatively uniform North American rail network and its remarkably high weight capacity. Contrary to road transportation, there is no need for time-consuming, multi-state permitting procedures, route changes, costly engineering studies for bridges, or any of the usual third parties.
Intermodal transport, bulk cargo like grain, crude, chemicals, lumber and sand, as well as cars and other items make up the majority of rail freight. More than any other single commodity group, US rail intermodal transport contributes nearly 25% to the main US railroads’ annual income. Approximately 1.7 billion metric tons of raw materials and finished commodities are transported by freight trains annually.
