Pennsylvania: Keystone of American Freight Rail
From a small beginning two centuries ago with a quarry railway in Delaware County, freight rail became the engine that made Pennsylvania an industrial giant in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today’s freight railroads continue fueling economic growth, drawing new businesses and manufacturing to Pennsylvania with their seamless connections to national and global markets.
Pennsylvania’s 58 freight railroads operate over 5,080 miles of track and employ 4,371 in the Keystone State.* It would have taken approximately 9.5 million additional trucks to handle the 171.2 million tons of freight that started, ended, or moved through Pennsylvania in 2023. Moving freight by rail prevented 4.63 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of taking 907,000 cars off the road or planting 70.1 million trees. Intermodal and coal make up the majority of freight rail shipments both beginning and ending in Pennsylvania.
*2023 data
