Railroad Industry

The global industry built around rail transport, a mode of transport using wheeled vehicles running on parallel steel rails, powered mainly by diesel or electric locomotives, that handles roughly 8 percent of global passenger and freight movement. Rail track spreads the weight of a train so it can carry more than trucks on roads, while lower rolling friction than road vehicles allows longer trains and greater energy efficiency. The industry serves both passengers, from urban rapid transit to long distance intercity service, and freight, from containerized cargo to bulk commodities such as coal and grain, with rail low or even zero transshipment costs making it especially cost effective for handling bulk materials.