The Future of Rail

Abstract

This article describes how freight railroads have made a strong comeback in recent years. Can they stay on track? Once considered to be a dying industry, railroads have made a strong comeback and are poised to become much busier places in the future. The forecasts for freight growth are substantial and these are prompting railroads to plan for numerous capacity additions. At the same time, the federal government is looking to railroads to handle more and faster passenger trains and install an extensive anti-collision system known as positive train control. This article describes how the Wall Street Journal recently held an email discussion about the future of rail with panelists from the private and public sides of the business.