Illinois Anchors America’s Freight Rail Network
Illinois is literally at the center of the freight rail network, with nearly 50 freight railroads and North America’s busiest rail hub in Chicago. The commitment of the private sector, the city of Chicago and the state and federal governments to the CREATE program shows how important Illinois is to freight rail operations nationwide.
Illinois’s 49 freight railroads operate over 7,151 miles of track and employ 12,006 in the Prairie State.* It would have taken approximately 26.8 million additional truckloads to move the 483.2 million tons of freight that moved by rail in Illinois in 2017. Intermodal shipments and coal make up the majority of freight rail shipments beginning and ending in Illinois.
*2017 data
Policy Issues Washington, D.C. — After 350+ meetings with members of Congress, another productive Railroad Day on Capitol Hill is in the books. The day convenes folks…
Policy Issues Washington, D.C. — Freight rail advocates from across the country will come together on Capitol Hill next Wednesday, May 8 for Railroad Day 2019 —…
Sustainability Washington, D.C. — Some Earth Day trivia: What weighs 4,000 tons, carries the load of several hundred trucks, and is still the greenest way to…
Featured Rail Advocates
Illinois
43 percent
decrease
in rail rates, 1981-2014.
That means the average rail customer today can ship nearly twice as much freight for about the same price it paid more than 30 years ago.
Subscribe Now
Sign up to receive important rail news and policy updates from GoRail. 
