Freight Railroad Chronology - AAR

On This PageFreight Railroad TimelineDeeper DiveSince their birth nearly 190 years ago, railroads have played a crucial role in America’s development. Thanks to partial deregulation in 1980, railroads have increased productivity, lowered rates and reinvested hundreds of billions of dollars in private funds — not taxpayer funds — back into their networks to create what is now the safest and most efficient freight rail system in the world. The last decade was thesafestever for U.S. railroads, with the 2023 hazmat accident rate the lowest ever. Freight rail is the most fuel-efficient way to move goods over land, and rail has America’s best infrastructure, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.Download Fact SheetFreight Railroad Timeline1797Steam Locomotive InventedThe steam locomotive is invented in England.18231st Public RailwayThe first public railway in the world opens in England.18271st Railroad in North AmericaThe first railroad in North America — the Baltimore & Ohio...