• Home Page
  • Rail Transportation In North America

Rail Transportation In North America

Improved Essays
Show More
North America is the land mass ranging from Panama and continuing North to Alaska and Greenland. North America also accounts for all of the islands in the Caribbean and in total has twenty-three associated countries. Rail transportation in the United States has been a staple point of industry which has made America into the world’s leading union; however, rail has been forgotten about for many decades. As previously mentioned, America had 408,773 km of Class I rail in 1916. One-hundred years later in 2016 the American railroad network consist of 225,000 km of Class I railroad (Federal Rail Administration, n.d.). Amtrak is Americas only passenger train and owns only 34,279 km of railroad. An example of the dilapidated American railroad is the …show more content…
According to the World Bank website (2014), the amount of railroad in Mexico is roughly 26,704 km. Central America consists of the seven countries south of Mexico, the rail road in this area that once was very lively due to the movement of bananas has all but rusted away. There are a few commuter routes as well as a few short routes still open but the Panama Railway is the only railroad that is still providing a regular service (Poelzl, n.d.). Canadian rail totals at 52,131 km, five-thousands less than counted in 2007 (Worldbank.org, 2014). The overall amount of railroad for North America is about 328,000 km (CIA.gov, n.d.). Amtrak is able to operate at a top speed of 241 km/h, while CSX and other freight haulers in North America rarely go beyond 80 km/h (Amtrak.com, …show more content…
The rail infrastructure in Africa is not adequate for the 21st century. The total amount of rail that is currently operational in Africa is about 90,000 km (CIA.gov, n.d.). The fastest train in Africa travels at a speed of 320 km/h yet, it is not completely operational at this time. This Moroccan rail line is currently finalizing its testing phase and is expected be completely operational in 2017. This puts Africa years ahead of North America and Oceania but, one high speed rail line that totals 183 km on the second largest continent is underachieving at its best. This leaves much of the country without adequate rail

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Transcontinental Railroad Dbq Research Paper
    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Transcontinental Railroad Dbq Research Paper

    Where would our world be today if the Transcontinental Railroad simply didn’t exist? The Railroad impacted us in many ways, but I believe that we were impacted most economically. The Transcontinental Railroad impacted the United States Economically because, it transformed towns to boosting economic hotspots, lowered the general cost for shipping across hefty distances, and increased revenue from exports and imports dramatically. The railroad transformed towns like Lovelock, Nevada into economic hotspots.…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Railroaded By Richard White Summary
    • 1254 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Railroaded By Richard White Summary

    Fall 2015 History is often only taught but never questioned because of the impossibility to change what has already happened. However, Richard White, the author of “Railroaded” does exactly that, questions transcontinental life in the Gilded Age. White is a well-respected historian and professor from Stanford University who, during the 2007-2008 recession, was inspired to write about the strangely-familiar recessions of our nations past. This book provides great insight regarding the idea of railroads and whether or not such an invention was a good and needed advancement at the time. This paper will analytically criticize, praise and discuss Whites argument, effectiveness and credibility of the railroad industry.…

    • 1254 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Steam-Powered Railways In Canada
    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Steam-Powered Railways In Canada

    As historian George Stanley wrote in The Canadians, "Bonds of steel as well as of sentiment were needed to hold the new Confederation together. Without railways there would be and could possibly be no Canada. " Canada's railway network is the fifth largest in the world and railways provide the safest means of ground transportation in Canada. The development of steam-powered railways in the 19th century made transportation better in Canada and was important to the building of a nation. Railways played an important role in the process of industrialization, opening up new markets and tying regions together, while at the same time creating a demand for resources and technology.…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Transcontinental Railroad Dbq
    • 1473 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Transcontinental Railroad Dbq

    The railway trains, engines, employees, managers were engaged in business of provision of services for passengers and freight. By these terms of service provision the railroad significantly contributed to the American economic growth. The amount of freight increased from 13 billions in 1870 to 450 billions in 1929. Additionally, the railroad reduced transportation costs. When the railroads began their operation the advantages over canals and other ways of transportation were obvious – the speed was much higher and the service was more flexible.…

    • 1473 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    19th Century Railroad Industry Analysis
    • 1411 Words
    • 6 Pages

    19th Century Railroad Industry Analysis

    The late nineteenth century saw a huge development in the United States’ economy, and the railroad industry was a leading contributor to why. Through transportation, jobs, expansions, and other factors, the railroad industry played a primary role in the evolution of the economy. The late 1800s marked a time of growth, and railroads provided quicker, more effective ways of shipping, communication, and more. When the railroad industry surged, the economy surged, and when the railroads faltered, so did the economy. Railroad strikes and events in their department took a toll on the government.…

    • 1411 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Decent Essays

    Populist Party: Positive Effects Of Transportation On American Society
    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Populist Party: Positive Effects Of Transportation On American Society

    rritories portray the positive effects of transportation on American society. The formation of the Populist party was one of the positive effects of the nation's railroad network. The Populists were able to make silver coinage a prominent national issue in the 1890s. Living in a time of deflation and high unemployment, the Populists advocated the free coinage of silver as a way to inflate the money supply.…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    How The First Transcontinental Railroad Revolutionized The American Economy
    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How The First Transcontinental Railroad Revolutionized The American Economy

    The people who they had working on them were mainly immigrants from Ireland and China. The engineers andsupervisors were mostly made up of army veterans. The transcontinental railroad was finished on May 10, 1869 in Utah at Promontory Point. The transcontinental railroad revolutionized the American economy because of how fast and cheap it made to transport goods across the country. It also meant that America was moving to the front of the…

    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Decent Essays

    Compare And Contrast The Railroads And The West
    • 164 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Compare And Contrast The Railroads And The West

    The railroads and the west The railroads were a good, and a bad thing for the united states. Railroads caused for herds of buffalo to move, and the indians didn't want the buffalo to move, because the indians depended on the buffalo for food, clothing, and many other things. Once the railroads were getting built people started to kill the buffalo for fun, and leave to body's just sit their. The hunters killed around 8,000 buffalo a day, which caused the population of buffalo to drop.…

    • 164 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Decent Essays

    Transcontinental Railroad Effects
    • 432 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Transcontinental Railroad Effects

    Transcontinental Railroads Effects ___ The Transcontinental Railroad impacted the entire United States in many different manners. This project was designed to connect the West to the East, but it didn’t work out as clean or smoothly as they expected. The railroad completely transformed the way of the west, and also the entire population. The three main effects were on Indians, society, and the economy of the United States. Native Americans were the most affected by the railroad.…

    • 432 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Transcontinental Railroad Benefits
    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Transcontinental Railroad Benefits

    Throughout history the growth of the country has positively and negatively impacted America through the railroad, advertising, a growth in the urban population, and trust. The transcontinental railroad was a railroad that connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This railroad positively impacted America because it increased expansion, trade, and transportation. This invention caused expansion because homes and businesses began to develop around the railroad. It also caused an increase in trade and transportation because it was now easier to travel due to the length of the transcontinental railroad.…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    New Mexico Railroad History
    • 2193 Words
    • 9 Pages

    New Mexico Railroad History

    In addition, the same tracks built by the AT&SF still play a major role in New Mexico’s tourism and shipping industries. Many freight train companies such as the BNSF (the descendant of the AT&SF) and Union Pacific Railways still use the old AT&SF tracks to ship goods cross-country and export New Mexico’s oil and gas. Furthermore, commuter trains are present in New Mexico because of the AT&SF tracks. For example, the New…

    • 2193 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    How The Transcontinental Railroad Revolutionized America
    • 2067 Words
    • 9 Pages

    How The Transcontinental Railroad Revolutionized America

    President Abraham Lincoln once said, “A railroad to the Pacific Ocean is imperatively demanded in the interests of the whole country,” (Sandler 13). Change is a necessity of life, but positive change is rare. One of these rare instances was the event that connected the coasts of the United States. The Transcontinental Railroad not only connected America, but changed America. This massive railway revolutionized America by making American life faster paced than ever before.…

    • 2067 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Negative Effects Of The Transcontinental Railroad
    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Negative Effects Of The Transcontinental Railroad

    The building of the Transcontinental Railroad was finalized on the tenth of May, 1869- and suddenly San Francisco and New York no longer seemed such a long distance from one another. Since its construction, it has long been debated whether or not the railroad left a positive or negative impact on the growth and development of the United States. Supporters cite the improvement of the exchange of intellectual thoughts and ideas and the encouraged and increased growth and business and economy; whereas critics bash our encroachment of Native American property in order to run and build the railroad. Ultimately, when looking at the matter in hindsight, it is clear that the railroad left a more favorable outcome on the progression and advancement of the United States.…

    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Transcontinental Railroad Research Paper
    • 1783 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Transcontinental Railroad Research Paper

    The efficiency of trains made travel by rail highly popular…

    • 1783 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Organizational Structure Of Amtrak
    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Organizational Structure Of Amtrak

    Congress had mandated a safety system known as positive train control be installed on the tracks throughout the northeast corridor. Unfortunately, Amtrak did not have the qualified engineers, rail-workers or funding to complete the entire installation by the end of 2015 thus parts of the northeast corridor were not outfitted with the technology. Many felt the accident could have been avoided had the technology been installed. Amtrak has been urging Congress to extend the deadline through 2020 in order to prevent any further accidents. Politics have a double-edge sword effect on Amtrak as on one side they mandate the work to be done and on the other they limit the funding in order to complete the task leaving managers and employees in a bind and in this case responsible.…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings