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Join the nationwide movement

Become a Rail Champion to declare that rail is essential—and that our public officials should prioritize a robust U.S. rail network.
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Why are you a Rail Champion?
Rail Champions appreciate rail for reasons as diverse as engineering and efficiency to economic development and to the role of trains in the American story. Many Rail Champions value how rail relieves congestion and taxpayer burden while also lowering prices for consumers. Or they may just like to watch a train roll by, seeing the economy steadily in motion.
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I'm a Rail Champion because my father's legacy, the Staggers Rail Act, transformed American railroads into the backbone of our economy. His vision of a strong, interconnected rail system continues to drive progress and prosperity for communities across the nation.
Dr. Margaret Staggers Daughter of Staggers Rail Act author U.S. Rep. Harley Staggers of West Virginia,
and former West Virginia state delegate
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Why are you a Rail Champion?

Join us in declaring that trains are essential.
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LEARN
Rail 101
Here are some reasons to champion rail.

Explore how U.S. railroads drive the economy, support jobs, and move goods efficiently and sustainably, all while partnering with passenger services to keep America moving.

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Visual Toolkit

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This download provides helpful assets to amplify your support for freight rail. Use these graphics and logos to engage your network, raise awareness, and show why rail matters for America.

DOWNLOAD (3783)Rail Champion Visual ToolkitFILE SIZE: 32.69 MB

Network

Network

More than 620 Class I and short line railroads operate across 135,000 track- miles in the U.S. The six Class I railroads are the largest carriers, traversing 49 states and the District of Columbia.

Spending

Spending

Freight railroads have spent more than $830 billion on locomotives, freight cars, tracks, bridges, tunnels and other equipment and technology since 1980. This equates to 39 cents of every dollar earned.

Workforce

Workforce

The approx. 140,000 freight rail employees are among America’s most highly compensated. In 2023, the average Class I employee earned total compensation of $149,000—more than 92% of U.S. employees.

Sustainability

Sustainability

One train can move a ton of freight 500 miles on a single gallon of fuel, on average. Rail moves about 40% of U.S. long-distance freight but accounts for just 1.8% of transportation-related emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Economic Impact

Economic Impact

Class I railroad investments support hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in U.S. economic output. Railroads average more than 18% or six times higher capital spending than the average U.S. manufacturer.

Cost Efficiency

Cost Efficiency

The average rail shipper can move much more freight today for about the same price they paid over 40 years ago. Average U.S. freight rail rates, measured by inflation-adjusted revenue per ton-mile, are 40% lower today than in 1980.

Partner to Passenger

Partner to Passenger

Outside of the Northeast Corridor, Class I-owned tracks host most intercity passenger rail operations and some commuter rail operations. About 70% of Amtrak’s miles-traveled occur on tracks owned by freight railroads.

Supply Chain Workhorse

Supply Chain Workhorse

Together with trucks and barges, freight rail ships 59 tons of goods per American every year. Redesigned railcars have helped increase average tonnage. In 2023, the average freight train carried 3,948 tons, up from 2,923 tons in 2000.

Our Mission
Rail Champions is a platform for those who value the contributions of rail to the United States.

Trains help move the goods and people of our nation, increasing competitiveness, lowering costs, and enhancing our communities through emissions and congestion mitigation. Rail Champions gives voice to everyday Americans who believe in the importance of reliable, affordable, and efficient rail transportation. We are a movement of people, like you, across the country championing rail as a net positive to sustainable growth, prosperity, and quality of life.

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Sign the LetterThe U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB), which oversees the economic regulation of freight railroads, is considering a rule that would mandate reciprocal switching among freight railroads. They will hold a hearing in March to examine this policy of forced access.

Why It Matters

Forced access would compromise the efficiency of the rail network and undermine service for rail customers and communities coast-to-coast when the supply chain is already facing severe challenges. Slowing train operations across a 140,000-mile network moving 1.5 million railcars at any given time would hurt the factories, farms, ports and local economies that rely on speedy and consistent rail service.

Over time, the rule would make railroads less competitive with other modes, lead to network disinvestment and shift freight from railways to publicly funded highways. Less freight rail means more local highway congestion and more greenhouse gases, as railroads today move 40% of intercity freight but account for just 1.9% of transportation-related emissions.

Want more background? Read our Issue Brief.

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Sign the Letter

Please consider joining our grassroots letter to the STB, urging them to reject the proposed rule on forced access. Before the Board's March hearing, we want to ensure they've heard from a variety of the voices who benefit from robust railroads and who would be negatively impacted by diminished rail service.

To sign, fill out the fields below and click "Sign the Letter" to add your name.

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Dear Chairman Oberman and Members of the Surface Transportation Board,

Freight demand is expected to grow 30% over the next two decades. We are concerned that the proposed rule on reciprocal switching (EP 711-1), if implemented, would lead to less rail usage in the future — an outcome that would negatively impact communities, businesses and local economies across the country, undermine intercity passenger rail, and increase transportation-related emissions.

U.S. freight railroads account for 40% of long-distance freight in the United States (but just 1.9% of transportation-related emissions) and host nearly three-quarters of Amtrak’s passenger network. They also self-fund the maintenance of their networks and operations, a huge economic benefit to the communities and businesses connected to the world’s most productive and cost-effective freight rail system.

Continued investments are critical to safety and efficiency on this network. Because EP 711-1 stands to undercut rail revenues, it also stands to undercut the massive investments that enable efficient service. Less efficient service disadvantages rail customers and pushes them to other modes.

For our communities and businesses, forced access presents both short-term disruption to an already strained supply chain and long-term harm if it leads to fewer transportation options for businesses and more congestion on public infrastructure — not to mention diminished passenger rail service.

Another consideration is the potential impact of the rule on the carbon footprint of U.S. goods movement. Researchers at the think tank Third Way have urged Congress to enact policies that shift freight “away from more carbon-intensive modes like trucking and aircraft and towards rail.” Just a 10% shift would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 17 million tons annually. It makes little sense, in this context, to pass a rule that could result in just the opposite.

Freight transportation is changing as e-commerce reshapes supply chains. Railroads face steep competition, not only from each other, but also from other modes like trucks. Forced access would not only disrupt the most reliable piece of the supply chain, but also jeopardize the long-term viability of railroads across the nation.

Especially in this moment, when our supply chain, economic recovery and environmental future are top of mind, rail is a tool that could address multiple national goals. For these reasons, we urge the Board to oppose the proposed rule on reciprocal switching (EP 711-1).

Sincerely,