US Railways: history and description

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

American railroads have a rich history and have played a very important role in the development of the state. Currently, this transport is not as popular in the country as aviation and automobile types. Many trains are more like exhibits. Only romantics and people who are afraid to fly on an airplane travel on them. And the price of a ticket here usually does not differ much from the cost of a flight.

A brief comparison with Russian railways

The railway of Russia and the USA is different. If the total length of the domestic highway is 87 thousand kilometers, then for the Americans this figure is 220 thousand kilometers. The track gauge in Russia is 1520 mm, and in the USA it is 1435 mm, as in Europe. In our country, the industry employs 1.2 million workers, while American highways serve only 180 thousand people. Approximately the same is only the share of the industry's cargo turnover, which in both countries is 40%.

Origination

HistoryUS railroads began in 1815. Their development looked very promising due to the fact that at that time there was no developed cheap and fast land transport in the country. Then Colonel John Stevens founded the New Jersey Railroad Company. Initially, industrial branches began to be created for the transportation of goods over short distances, for example, for the export of minerals from mines. The Pennsylvania Railroad, which began operations in 1846, was the first company in the industry. Eight years later, her first route was officially launched, connecting Philadelphia and Harrisburg.

First locomotives

If there were no big problems with the construction of the track, then the main problem faced by the first US railroads was the provision of traction. In 1826, the aforementioned John Stevenson designed and built his own steam locomotive. To test his offspring, the engineer built his own circular track in New Jersey. The testing of the machine was successful. Three years later, Gortario Alen, being the chief engineer of a large shipping company, suggested using a simple English steam locomotive. After successful testing, it began to be used on a branch line between Carbonvale and Honesdale in Pennsylvania. In 1830, according to the project of the American Peter Cooper, the first locomotive designed for passenger transportation was built in New York. Over time, he has established himself as a very reliable car.

Interesting fact

In the fiftiesthe nineteenth century, the so-called underground or underground railway launched its activities. In the United States, representatives of a secret society called themselves that. It was engaged in assisting runaway slaves of African origin from the southern states to the north. At the same time, the activities of the organization were in no way connected with transport and transportation. Members of the organization simply used the railway terminology that has become popular throughout American society.

Begin rapid development

It was after the appearance of the first diesel locomotives that the railways in the USA began to actively develop. In the 19th century, a new mode of transport was already a serious competitor to shipping companies. A special impetus to its development was given by several experiments that proved that a steam locomotive is able to cover a distance about three to four times faster than a steamboat.

In 1830, a landmark event occurred for the American railroad. Then, between the cities of Ohio and B altimore in Maryland, the first passenger train was launched and began to run on an ongoing basis. Initially, the public was extremely negative about steam locomotives, calling them devilish machines, but over time, it became clearer to most citizens that the future lay behind this transport.

If in 1840 the length of the US railroads was 2755 miles, then twenty years later this figure stepped over the mark of 30 thousand miles. The construction of new routes was greatly facilitated bydevelopment of agriculture. Since the farmers worked for the market, they needed a vehicle that could quickly and in large quantities take out the crop.

Construction of the transcontinental railway

In 1861, the Civil War broke out between North and South. Despite this, a year after it began, President Abraham Lincoln made a decision according to which the US transcontinental railroad was to be built. It was assumed that the length of the highway will be almost three thousand kilometers. Two companies became contractors at once: Central Pacific (laying the canvas from west to east) and Union Pacific Railroad (conducted construction from east to west). The so-called meeting point was supposed to be in the center of the route. Each of the companies sought to be the first to finish their site and win this kind of competition, so the work did not always go according to plan. Many officials appropriated the funds allocated for the construction. If there were settlements on the way of the railway, their inhabitants were offered meager sums for land plots. Moreover, for bribes from the mayors of some cities (they benefited from the presence of the highway), the companies repeatedly changed routes.

About 10 thousand workers from China and another 4 thousand from Ireland were involved in the construction. This was done in order to reduce the cost of work, because the Americans did not agree to work for the proposed amount (at best, 1.5 dollars a day). Due to difficult working conditions, many builders died.

As a result, the Union Pacific Railroad managed to lay 1,749 kilometerscanvases, and their opponents - 1100 kilometers. This later had a favorable effect on the further development of the "winners", which today have become one of the most powerful railway enterprises in the country. When workers from two contractors met in 1869, a golden nail was hammered into the sleeper, symbolizing the connection between two oceans.

The effect of the construction of the transcontinental railway

Many skeptics argue that the US transcontinental railroad then became a useless and senseless undertaking by the president. However, later she played a very significant role for the state, creating a real revolution in the country's economy and the migration of its inhabitants. In a short period of time, a huge number of Americans who wanted to develop agriculture moved to the fertile western lands.

At the end of the nineteenth century, several more branches appeared that directly connected the two oceans. They were better thought out, and fewer violations were made during the construction. The first railroad in the United States, laid from east to west of the country, is considered a dark spot in American history. This is not surprising, because the feat of the two companies cannot overshadow the number of dead workers and families left homeless.

Railroad development after the Civil War

The Civil War showed how important and efficient rail transport is in transporting people, food and weapons. It is not surprising that in the future the development of ironroads in the US has become a priority. Subsidies were provided to companies operating in the industry even before the start of construction work. In particular, the government allocated from 16 to 48 thousand dollars for each mile of the canvas. In addition, the territory for 10 miles on both sides of the path became the property of companies. Tellingly, since 1870, 242,000 square miles of land have been given away to corporations in 10 years.

From 1865 to 1916, the construction of the US railroads was carried out on a grand scale. The total length of the tracks during this time has grown from 35 to 254 thousand miles. Moreover, at the beginning of the twentieth century, both passenger and freight transportation in the country was almost entirely carried out by rail.

Reducing the role of railways

During the First World War, the rail industry came under the control of the American government. Since that time, the industry has gradually begun to lose its leading position. In 1920, the railroads were returned to private ownership. However, during this time their condition deteriorated significantly. In combination with the development of technological progress and other modes of transport, this began to lead to a gradual decrease in the role of the industry for the state economy.

But there is no need to downplay the importance that the industry played. Firstly, a transport network was created that connected the entire domestic market of the state into a single whole. Secondly, the construction of the canvas contributed to the strong rise of suchindustries such as transport engineering and metallurgy, due to the high demand for rails, wagons and locomotives. Be that as it may, if until 1920 the development of railways was called the “golden era”, then it can be said with confidence that since that time it has at least ended.

Today's state

No one in the US currently travels by rail. This is primarily due to the good development of aviation communications. And the cost of train and plane tickets is often about the same. In this regard, it is not surprising that a large share of the income of this industry is associated with freight transport. The US railroad network is over 220,000 kilometers long. They serve all sectors of the country's economy. Rail transport accounts for about 40% of the national freight turnover.

Companies

All US railroad companies are privately owned. In total, there are almost 600 of them. At the same time, the 7 largest of them account for more than half of the volume of cargo turnover in the industry. The state guarantees companies the right to make independent decisions on transportation tariffs. At the same time, this process is controlled by a federal body called the Surface Transportation Board. The privatization of American railroads is irrelevant. Companies are interested in the efficient functioning and coordination of absolutely all systems. This is due to the high competition with road transport. Fundamental decisions regardingthe activities of railway companies are accepted by their shareholders. These companies have been averaging about $54 billion a year in recent years.

Freight transport

US railroads boast a fairly developed and efficient freight transportation system. Experts believe that the key to its successful work is primarily related to their relative freedom from government regulation.

As noted above, about 40% of freight traffic in the country is provided by railway workers. This value has been growing over the past fifteen years. At the same time, in this indicator, US railroads are inferior to their main competitor, road transport. In the context of the struggle for a client, companies in every possible way focus the attention of potential customers on their economic and environmental advantages. According to their leaders, in the near future this will still improve the current performance.

Classification of Freight Companies

Carriers that serve US railroads are divided into the following classes according to the country's classification system: first class companies, regional companies, local line operators and S&T carriers.

Only seven operators belong to the first class railway companies. They account for about 67% of cargo turnover, and the average annual income of each exceeds $350 million. Transportation, as a rule, is carried out over long distances. Statistical dataindicate that 9 out of 10 American railroad workers work for these firms.

Regional companies have an average annual income of at least $40 million. They typically transport between 350 and 650 miles (multi-state). According to the latest data, there are 33 such enterprises in the country, and the number of employees of each of them varies within 500 employees.

Local operators operate up to 350 miles and generate up to $40 million in annual revenue. There are 323 firms of this class in the state, which usually transport goods within the territory of one state.

S&T companies don't transport goods so much as handle and sort them. In addition, they specialize in delivery within a certain area by order of a particular carrier. According to the latest data, there are 196 such companies operating in the country, earning several tens of millions of dollars every year.

Passenger transport

Railway passenger transport is not very popular in the US. The fact is that the distances between cities are usually very large, and not every person is able to sit in a chair for a day, despite its comfort. It is much faster to travel by plane, the ticket price of which is not so much higher than the cost of a train trip.

In the US, there are two types of passenger trains: short-haul and long-haulfollowing (night). The first of them uses seat-type cars. They run exclusively during the day. The second type has both sleeping and seating double deck cars. At the same time, passengers are located on the upper tier, and the lower one is designed to carry luggage. Night trains serve mainly the western part of the country.

In addition, commuter transportation is also provided for passenger service. The trains that provide them are owned by local operators who form their own fare system.

Finishing

US railroads once played a revolutionary role in the country's economy. Their appearance contributed to a number of positive changes, as well as the development of many industries and agriculture. The evolution of American rail transport before the outbreak of World War I even went down in history as the "golden age" of railroads. Be that as it may, the development of technological progress in combination with the availability of alternative modes of transport has led to a gradual decrease in the role of the industry.