By Jolene Molitoris, Administrator Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation Modern rail technology holds promise that railroads will deliver even more value in future years, as users of transportation worldwide demand ever more speed, reliability, capacity, and efficiency, according to Federal Railroad Administrator Jolene Molitoris. In this article, she examines new rail systems, best practices and linkages to international air travel and international intermodal freight.
Railroads already enjoy an intercontinental reach, even though they stop at the oceans' edges.
They represent important components of the global intermodal transportation system. They efficiently move huge quantities of goods and large numbers of passengers, and they serve to complement connecting water, land, and air-based modes. Moreover, modern rail technology holds promise that railroads will deliver even more value in future years, as users of transportation worldwide demand ever more speed, reliability, capacity, and efficiency. The railroad industry evolved during the 19th century almost exclusively from private companies that consolidated or merged over a period of time. In most countries, the railroads were eventually taken over by national or local governments and treated as public utilities.