New to Rail? The Benefits, Technology, and Types of Rail Transportation

Rail transportation has numerous environmental benefits, advanced technology options, and diverse types of railcars that cater to various industries. Let's explore why choosing rail to ship your products could be the best decision for your business needs.

The U.S. Freight Rail Network

The U.S. freight rail network, with its 140,000 miles of track, includes six Class I railroads that transport products across North America. Short Line railroads bridge the gaps between the Class I owned railroads. This extensive network moves around one third of all U.S. exports, according to CNBC.

Why Choose Rail?

Cost: Rail transportation is the most economical method for transporting large quantities of goods on land over long distances, providing a lower cost per ton-mile. According to Union Pacific Railroad, a single train can transport freight equivalent to that carried by 300 trucks.

Sustainability and Fuel Efficiency: U.S. freight railroads, on average, transport one ton of freight nearly 500 miles per gallon of fuel. Railroads are generally three to four times more fuel-efficient than trucks, and shipping by rail helps reduce carbon emissions.

Highway Safety and Congestion: A single freight train can replace several hundred trucks, creating more space on the highway for other motorists. Transferring freight from trucks to rail also reduces highway wear and tear and the need to construct new roads as frequently. Additionally, fewer trucks on the road can lead to a reduced chance of highway crashes.

Railcar Conversion and Recycling: TrinityRail SRC?, or Sustainable Railcar Conversion, focuses on repurposing and reusing railcar materials and components during the manufacturing of new railcars. This more environmentally friendly process helps reduce energy consumption, conserve resources, and meet rising product demands. To date, TrinityRail SRC has successfully reused over 79 million pounds of raw materials.

Rail Technology

Freight rail is evolving with new technologies like GPS, IoT, and advanced telematics, enhancing fleet visibility and providing greater insights to shippers. RSI Logistics? offers a suite of digital products and services that streamline rail-centric supply chains. Rail Command? allows users to see the location of their railcars in real time. The platform also features data visualization, enhanced ETAs, and auditing assistance. RSI Logistics also offers transloading services with over 20 terminals in the United States that handle products ranging from bulk food to hazardous materials.

Railcar Types

To effectively manage shipping your commodity by rail, it's important to know the different types of railcars and how they are used. Each railcar works to meet the specific needs of various industries, promoting efficient and safe transportation of goods. Here is a short guide to what each of our railcar products can typically ship.

·?????? Tank Cars: Various liquids and chemicals, compressed gases

·?????? Covered Hoppers: Rice, corn, fertilizers, petrochemicals, sand, or other bulk granular and agricultural products

·?????? Open hoppers: Sand, aggregates, coal, or other bulk materials

·?????? Autoracks: Automobiles and light trucks

·?????? Boxcars: Paper, automotive parts, and perishables

·?????? Gondolas: Scrap metal, steel coils, aggregates, and coal

·?????? Flat & Intermodal: Shipping containers, pipes, and lumber

To learn more about our products and leasing options, click here.

Rail Services

Matching railcars to specific shipping needs is just one aspect of managing a successful rail-centric supply chain. Some of the services needed to maintain railcars are fleet management, maintenance, parts, tracking, and rail transloading. TrinityRail offers all these solutions, as well as decades of expertise to make shipping your product easy.

To learn more about the potential benefits of rail for your business and how TrinityRail’s suite of railcar products and services can meet your shipping needs, visit our New to Rail page: www.trinityrail.com/new-to-rail/