Why doesn’t America have a transcontinental railroad?
The article discusses how the U.S. lacks a unified transcontinental freight rail network despite having completed the first transcontinental railroad in 1869, arguing that a proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern could create the first single-network coast-to-coast rail system. It claims such a merger would reduce shipping costs, shift freight from trucks to rail, and improve supply chain resilience by cutting transit times and eliminating mid-journey handoffs. The author urges the Surface Transportation Board to approve the merger, emphasizing consumer benefits, increased competition with trucking and other transport modes, and the need for structural improvements in freight infrastructure.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
In 1869, the first-ever American transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit, then in the Utah Territory. Passengers and cargo from the industrial cities of the Northeast could make the steam-powered one-week journey toward the West Coast, stretching the American frontier and settling the West. Nearly 160 years later, highway systems and airplanes have taken over as the primary means of transportation for passengers across the nation, but a significant amount of cargo and freight still moves by rail, albeit through a complex system of network changes and handoffs.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Washington Examiner.
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