Pelican State Economy Soars on Freight Rail

Louisiana’s railroads play an essential role in connecting local companies and communities to markets throughout North America. Recent soaring growth in Louisiana’s petrochemical industry would not be possible without these key freight rail connections.

Louisiana's 20 freight railroads operate over 3,001 miles of track and employ 2,600 in the Pelican State.* It would have taken approximately 2.1 million additional truckloads to move the 37.2 million tons of freight that moved by rail in Louisiana in 2021. Moving freight by rail prevented 8.87 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of taking 1.74 million cars off the road or planting 134.3 million trees. Chemicals make up the majority of freight rail shipments beginning in Louisiana. Crude oil and chemicals are the largest rail imports to the state.

*2021 data

Rail at Work

Louisiana

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Featured Rail Advocates

Louisiana
Kathy Edmonston
Kathy Edmonston
Louisiana State Representative

Featured Rail Supply Companies

Louisiana

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RMS Intermodal
Direct Chassis Link
NRCMA
Stella-Jones Inc.
RailWorks Corporation
L.B. Foster Company
Hulcher Services Inc.

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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

Louisiana
Brett Sebastian

Brett Sebastian

State Director

Brett Sebastian joined GoRail in August 2019 and oversees its operations in the South-Central United States and Arizona.