Why U.S. freight trains are more successful than passenger rail

The United States lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to passenger trains but U.S. freight railroads are dominating. North America is connected by seven major freight railroads. Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Kansas City Southern, Canadian Pacific and Canadian National. In 2019, the five top railroads in the U.S. had a total operating revenue of more than $71 billion dollars. But the freight rail industry's success has not come without its challenges.