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The Short Line Story
Think about the corner store you grew up visiting. Or the small business your neighbors built from nothing, maybe even one your own family started.
That's the short line railroad story.
Short lines were born when everyday entrepreneurs decided to bet on themselves when they saw something big railroads wanted to walk away from. Today, the average short line employs fewer than 30 people. Many are still run by the same families that started them.
These aren't just businesses. They're proof that hard work still means something in America.
Railroaders helped build this country. They are this country.
#America250
Short Lines Move America
Small railroads play a bigger role in America’s freight rail network than many people realize.
There are over 600 short line railroads in the U.S., collectively moving 1 in 5 railcars on the national freight network every year. They serve industries that touch nearly every part of daily life, helping deliver your food, clothes, cars, online purchases and so much more.
Short lines keep supply chains moving, help businesses stay competitive and connect local producers to national and global markets they couldn't access on their own.
Short line railroads have been part of the economic backbone of this country for generations, and they still are.
#America250
Short Lines Serve Their Communities
Hosting fundraisers
Supporting charity events
Donating to community organizations
Raising money
Volunteering with local groups
Short line railroads are active community members, and these are just a few of the ways they help those around them. Short line employees are your neighbors, your Little League coaches, your volunteer firefighters, your scout leaders.
Small railroads know their economic contributions are only part of the whole picture. These railroads don't just run through communities. They're part of them.
#America250
Short Lines Support Veterans
From the Civil War to today, railroads have moved troops, equipment and supplies when the nation needed it most. But the connection runs deeper than logistics.
Nearly 1 in 6 railroad employees today is a military veteran.
Railroads and the military have a long partnership, and many of the people working on short lines are veterans themselves. These companies take that seriously, recognizing and honoring veterans not just within their organizations, but in the communities they serve.
Short line railroads show up for veterans year-round, not just on Veterans Day. Not because it looks good, but because it's the right thing to do.
#America250
Short Lines are Environmental Stewards
(OPTION 1) America has long valued economic prosperity and environmental stewardship, and the freight rail industry proves that it’s possible to have both.
Railroads use technology to move more goods with less fuel while keeping local businesses connected to markets near and far. For short lines, taking care of the land and driving economic opportunity are not conflicting ideas – they move together on the same track.
#America250
(OPTION 2) The breathtaking scenery that inspired “America the Beautiful” 130 years ago will still be there another 250 years from now, thanks in part to railroads and railroaders who move our country’s goods every day.
Freight railroads take hundreds of thousands of big trucks off roads every year, using just one gallon of fuel to move a ton of goods nearly 500 miles. That’s less congestion and less pollution, more spacious skies and purple mountain majesties.
#America250
Short Lines Keep Small Towns Connected
For many businesses, their local short line railroad is a lifeline. Without it, staying in town isn't an option.
Take away the short line and you don't just lose a railroad. You lose jobs, businesses and the economic foundation of the communities built around them.
As the country marks 250 years of American independence, short line railroads are a reminder that the economy doesn't run on big institutions alone. It runs on the small, dedicated operations that have been working for their communities since the beginning.
#America250
Coming soon.
