VitalRail: A Continental Freight Rail Growth Initiative
Introduction
North America enjoys perhaps the world's most productive freight rail system and yet the industry’s $115 billion annual revenue starkly contrasts with the freight trucking industry’s $1 trillion yearly revenue.
Railways offer irreplaceable space, energy, and capital efficiencies. Growing freight rail service will contribute cascading benefits to all stakeholders:
- a one-mile-long train moves the same goods as a 27-mile convoy of trucks,
- its energy efficiency allows it to move that freight on 1/2 to 1/4 the fuel and emissions.
VitalRail serves at the heart of CAPSI as a comprehensive strategy for enhancing the productivity of our industrial systems by expanding freight rail service.
The need and opportunity for railroad development to address transportation efficiency and environmental challenges has never been greater. Rather than the emotional critiques and general calls for a so-called rail renaissance, VitalRail is informed by the real challenges and benefits of growing an industry as integral as railroads.
At the same time we need more from railroads than they can do themselves. Fortunately, railroads do not need a government bailout, they outperform many other industries. That stability –combined with rail technology’s inherent efficiencies– delivers a high return-on-investment when the involved stakeholder groups work together.
VitalRail Stakeholders
Collaboration among stakeholders is fundamental to achieving the tremendous growth opportunity for:
- railroads,
- rail-related companies,
- and the industries and communities they serve.
VitalRail engages fourteen interdependent stakeholder groups:
- Class I, II, and III railroad leaders,
- Investors and Banks and Economic Developers,
- Rail Employees, Customers, Suppliers, and Citizens,
- Transportation Planners, Land Developers, Realtors, and Site Selectors,
- Researchers, other transportation services and modes, and government leaders.
Learn more about VitalRail Stakeholders.
IntelliConferences
VitalRail Stakeholder IntelliConferences are advancing this deeply interconnected, invaluable industry using well-proven best-in-class methodology combined with supporting tools. Vitarail begins with the most important dialogues for expanding North America’s freight rail service:
- Rail Management – Rail Labor
- Containerized International Freight
- Revitalizing the Rail Carload System
- Rail Energy Efficiency
- Freight Transportation Land Use
- Rail Technology Adoption
- Rail Trucking Coordination
- Rail Regulatory Excellence
VitalRail Value Proposition
Expanding freight rail service is crucial for sustainable industrial growth across North America.
As the continent pursues reshoring and reindustrialization initiatives, railroads need to serve as the backbone of supply chain transportation. Like high-speed internet, robust rail service is fundamental to community prosperity; its absence creates economic barriers and environmental costs. Neither marketplace dynamics nor vested interest lobbying lead to smart supply chains. For North America’s future prosperity, they must be reconceived with a long-term vision.
The challenge is not a lack of intelligence; there are many smart and committed people in industry, government, and the community. What we are lacking are the effective forums and methods for gathering this intelligence into smart policy, programs, and marketplace improvements.
Learn more about the VitalRail Value Proposition.
VitalRail FAQs
Go to the VitalRail FAQs page to get your early questions answered.
