Like all forms of alternative transportation, rail is experiencing resurgence as fuel costs rocket upward. But can the current infrastructure handle it? Nope say industry leaders, who predict a shipping bind if nothing is done. Rail serves a particular shipping role in the US. It become desirable because it is mostly unaffected by gas prices which are currently terrorizing other shipping industries such as trucking and air travel. Rail is also the only way to access some parts of the U.S., making it a requirement for some situations.

Rail has actually seen a slight dip as the economy has worsened -- shipping of all consumer goods has decreased. Yet industry leaders say that the industry is predicted to grow explosively over the next two decades and many of the one-track rail lines in the U.S. just cannot currently handle it. Industry leaders worry that since rail lines, essentially not updated since they were built, are already facing congestion troubles with current loads, any increase could lead to serious rail ‘traffic jams’.

Randy Mullett, analyst for the Transportation Research Board, explained that "Even if the estimates are half wrong, we can't put even 25 percent more freight in the system right now … without serious implications." Slower trains must literally pull over for faster trains, a process which sometimes costs the paused train hours in delays and lead to a feedback loop that in turn causes more delays for other trains. Personal travel via train is also projected to increase in line with fuel prices. Passenger trains in many parts of the country run on the same railroads as freight lines. Since passenger trains are faster and include shorter-term timeframes, they take precedence over freight trains, which are delayed by waiting for passenger trains to pass.

There is no silver bullet solution, and the price tag of improving rail service runs at 150 billion dollars, most to be absorbed by private rail companies that will pass costs onto consumers. Detractors say not to worry, that the market will adapt and provide solutions. The fact is that we need more rail capacity in the U.S. There are currently clear market indicators that rail investment will yield solid long-term returns. The problem is that rail is not only a private enterprise and even if the market might respond, policy makers also must. Building additional rail lines is a slow process, financially and literally. It often involves lengthy eminent domain, financing and other land acquisition processes. Things will go best if policy makers launch rail expansions sooner than later when this capacity crunch catches up with us. 

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