Why are many railroad lines abandoned in USA?

Answer 1

Railroads in the U.S. have many abandoned lines for several reasons.

First, consider the number of major rail systems operating in North America today. There are currently 7 large railways in North America (Canada and U.S.), and as little as 35 years ago, that number was well above 40. Mergers, buyouts, and consolidations have really narrowed the logos you'll see trackside.

Second, with the passing of the Staggers Act in 1980, it gave the railroads more freedom to change shipping rates, transfer under-utilized or money-losing lines, and less red tape involved in doing a lot of things. The railroads began ditching lines with little or no on-line customers.

Third, railroads today are in a relentless drive for efficiency. That means modern trains are heavier, longer, and carry more traffic than they ever have before. Even though tonnage moved by railways may have increased over the decades, with longer, heavier trains, it's possible to use less trackage to haul that additional tonnage.

Fourth, competition from air, marine, and specifically trucks, have really shrunk the railroads market share. Some railroads go all out in competing with other forms of transportation; others concentrate their efforts in only key markets (intermodal comes to mind), while others just resign themselves to their market niche (bulk commodities over long distances).

Finally, the North American shipping market is vastly different than it was even 15 years ago. NAFTA is to thank (or blame) for most of that. Major trade with Asia and Mexico gives you those 60-mph intermodal trains criss-crossing the country, but it killed hundreds of smaller customers in every town, village, and city across the continent, resulting in less individual carloads, less yard jobs and road switchers, and less mixed freight.

Answer 2

The good old fashioned truck driver and the interstate highway system has taken away so much of transportation from the RR, that all "shortlines" have either went bankrupt or merged, bought up by other RR companies -
in the 19th to eatly 20th centyre there were hundreds of shortlines - now they have been redued to mostly shortlines that have serviced a certain commodity like coal, minings, or grain... The others like BNSF, Union Pacifc has swallowed up, the others that had swallowed up the others, that ate the others - its very interesting - no wonder there are so many RR fans.

you would be surprised how much regulation, and laws are unique to the railroads - they eve have their own interstate policement for ex. that can pursue crime across state borders

I have not even scratched the surface

there would be alot more of tracking remaining if it were not for the US/State and local governments taxing rails as property
All the major railroads went through a period of pulling up track specifically to lower the tax liabilitys irrespect of all the wimpers and cryes of historians and RR fans

Answer 3

Number one is too many were built to start with. The government gave land on either side of tracks to railroads as incentive to get railroads built. That's why there was such a race to get them built it was a land grab. Then the government gave big subsidies to railroad companies to keep the lines open. Over time those subsidies have been phased out and lines have been shut down. Rail is still a good way to transport goods, but the governments going to have to get out of the way.

Answer 4

well my friend, there are many ways to put point your finger but the bottom line is, with the way the railroads want to squeeze every penny out of every dollar, they're forcing the smaller or struggling businesses to use different alternatives b/c they want to put a premium on their services -- other times they may not raise the price as much but instead will want the customer to maintain the track that leads to their place of business -- u see railroads make a lot of money and if they have a small customer whose not really increasing their bottom line then they'll make unreasonable demands almost as if they were trying to bully them and many times a business relationship somebody had to work hard to get is severed b/c of someone else's arrogance

Answer 5

Capacity and utilization mandate abandonment. Through the use of software, some Class I's have actually identified more efficient way to move freight, and some lines are identified for abandonment.

In Appalachia, many old lines have been removed due to coal (mine) seams being depleted. It is cheaper to remove a line that to keep it down and maintain it.

Answer 6

Over the course of time as we have made things more efficient we have had to improve how things get around. If you look at the old highways before the new freeways where built you would see they would wind around and climb up and down a lot. It’s the same with trains. To have them haul more you had to make the rails more effective. Better grades allow for more to be hauled with out giving up speed and using fewer engines to do the work. The old rails have been abandoned because they where either no longer effective to run or they would cost too much to improve.

Answer 7

Looking at all the answers already posted, the missing reason is, shippers prefer truck service. Time is money and an enroute goods is inventory. If you can't wait for the time it takes the train to get it to you, truck it.

Rail only dominates in bulk shipments of relatively low-value cargo.

There isn't enough of that to require all the rail lines that were in existance when almost every thing whent by rail.

Answer 8

there's alot of reasons. Smaller short lines going out of business. small towns drying up. mergers, companies going out of business and no longer needing the lines.

Answer 9

lost business and maintance does;nt pay anyone to work so most client;s use trucking services to make up for abandoned rail lines.

Answer 10

Not enought revenue traffic to justify keeping up the road bed.