LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVES, RAILWAY AGE APRIL 2026 ISSUE: Short lines have continued to navigate market ups and downs by focusing intently on the customers right in front of them, serving as the crucial connection for those shippers in small town and rural America to the U.S. and global markets. Short lines are the face of freight rail in many communities, serving as the first and last mile of the journey and the retail arm of a wholesale business. Short lines are resilient and scrappy small businesses that do more with less. We have proven to be growth drivers—the national data shows that, as does the data from each of our Class I partners. The resources being committed to short line growth opportunities by the Class Is also demonstrates that we are critical to the success of the broader U.S. freight rail network. Based on our origin story, being the formerly unprofitable branch lines of larger railroads with a small customer base, low traffic density, and marginal yet expensive infrastructure, one would have expected a slow, spiraling end to many of the nation’s 603 short lines. Yet, to steal a quote from Jurassic Park, “life finds a way.” For short lines, carloads are life and we have driven carload growth one carload and one customer at a time. To further ignite growth for the economy and improve safety on short lines, Congress should support robust and predictable infrastructure funding, particularly through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program and a…
