Marking Michigan Railroad day Chris Holman welcomes Tristen Cole Michigan State House of Representatives of the District 105 (R-Antrim County/Chair of the House Transportation Committee), to talk about how Michigan’s freight rails are essential to the states economy.

Additional Information Provided By 105 Michigan State House of Representatives:

Michigan Railroad Day - MARCH 20TH

MOVING THE ECONOMY MITIGATING POLLUTION KEEPING COMMUNITIES SAFE
Investing in the rail network boosts the nation’s economy. Supporting a healthy freight rail network is key to continued economic recovery. Freight rail is one of the country’s most essential industries, and it provides a foundation on which many other industries rely.

• America’s freight railroads operate almost exclusively on infrastructure they own, build, maintain and pay for themselves — a vast network of 140,000 miles (enough rail to circle the earth nearly six times), 28,000 locomotives and 1.6 million rail cars.

• Since 1981, railroads have spent approximately $660 billion of their own funds on locomotives, freight cars, tracks, bridges, tunnels and other equipment and technology to keep the economy moving.
• In recent years, America’s freight railroads have spent an average of $26 billion annually to sustain and enhance their nationwide network - more than most state departments of transportation spend on highways.
• A Towson University Regional Economic Studies Institute (RESI) study estimates that freight railroads supported nearly 1.5 million jobs across the country in 2014. Freight rail is the engine to keep our economy strong. Affordable and efficient transportation is critical to our economy. Freight rail provides a vital link for millions of American jobs — connecting farmers, miners and manufacturers to markets across the country and around the world.
• From the food on our tables to the cars we drive to the shoes on our feet, railroads account for over 40 percent of the nation’s intercity freight volume — more than any other transportation mode.
• Railroads haul approximately one-third of all U.S. exports, enabling American businesses to be more competitive in the global economy.

     •  Unlike other modes that operate using infrastructure funded mainly by taxpayers, privately owned freight railroads operate almost exclusively on infrastructure they own, build, maintain and pay for themselves.