Freight Rail Connected to the Nation's Capital
Presidents as far back as Andrew Jackson have traveled and campaigned by rail. President Obama retraced the historical train trip taken by President Lincoln for his inauguration. While passenger service continues to thrive in the District of Columbia, freight tracks running through the city are vital to the East Coast rail network. DC's Virginia Avenue Tunnel enables trains to move freight between key ports, manufacturing centers and consumer markets.
D.C.'s two freight railroads operate over 17 miles of track and employ 10 in the Nation's Capital.* It would have taken thousands of additional truckloads to move the tons of freight that moved by rail in D.C. in 2021. Moving freight by rail prevented 15,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of taking 3,000 cars off the road or planting 234,000 trees.
*2021 data
