Railroads contribute millions of dollars to local and state economies through the purchase of goods and services. The vast majority of freight railroads in Texas and elsewhere in the United States are privately owned. Railroads originated a total of 109.3 million tons of freight traffic in Texas in 1999. Chemicals were the top commodity originated in 1999, accounting for 39.9 million tons, or 36 percent of total rail tons originated in Texas. In 1999, Texas led the nation by a wide margin in originated rail tons of chemicals.
Railroads are the environmentally preferred mode of transport.
Using the same amount of fuel, railroads move a ton of freight more than three times as far as a truck. Railroads have improved their fuel efficiency by 64 percent since 1980. Railroads are an extremely safe means of transporting freight. AAR is the world's leading railroad policy, research and organization focusing on increasing the safety and productivity of rail carriers.