Freight Rail a Key to California’s Green Economy

Freight rail provides the seamless connections that keep California’s economy on track, from its 11 ports and Mexican border trade, to Inland Empire manufacturers and distribution centers, to its many farms and wineries. Rail is also leading the way to a greener future with its scale and efficiency: a single train can move a ton of freight nearly 500 miles on a single gallon of fuel and carry the load of several hundred trucks.

California's 27 freight railroads operate over 4,948 miles of track and employ 6,936 in The Golden State.* It would have taken approximately 8.9 million additional trucks to handle the 160.3 million tons of freight that started, ended, or moved through California in 2021. Moving freight by rail prevented 16.6 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of taking 3.25 million cars off the road or planting 251.5 million trees. Intermodal shipments, mostly arriving through California's world-class ports, make up the majority of freight rail shipments beginning in California. Intermodal shipments and farm products are the largest rail imports to the state.

*2021 data

Rail at Work

California

See All

Featured Rail Advocates

California
Randy Gordon
Randy Gordon
President & CEO, Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce
Gurbax Sahota
Gurbax Sahota
President & CEO, California Association for Local Economic Development; Executive Director, California Academy for Economic Development
Paul Granillo
Paul Granillo
President & CEO, Inland Empire Economic Partnership

Featured Rail Supply Companies

California

See All
Parsec, Inc.
RMS Intermodal
Direct Chassis Link
AECOM
SEMA Construction
NRCMA
Alstom
The Okonite Company
Wabtec Corporation
TTX Company
RailWorks Corporation
Progress Rail Services
L.B. Foster Company
Hulcher Services Inc.
Ames Construction

icon_railfreight

44 percent
decrease

in rail rates on average from 1981 to today.


That means the average rail customer today can ship significantly more freight for about the same price they paid 40 years ago. 

State Director

California
Nate Kaplan

Nate Kaplan

State Director

Nate Kaplan has been an active player on the political scene from coast to coast, with a background in local, state and federal elections.