Rail Service in the Midwest and Northeast Region: A Report by the Secretary of Transportation [Vol. I: Conclusions and Recommendations]

Details

• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Department of Transportation
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Bankruptcy Governments Planning Policy Railroad Transportation Regional Rail Reorganization Act Regulations
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; West North Central States ; New England
• Edition:
  Volume 1 of 3
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  This report evaluates the rail service crisis in the Midwest and Northeast in response to the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973, or 3R Act. It served as the Secretary of Transportation’s initial policy blueprint for the restructuring process later carried forward by the United States Railway Association. It is the first part of a three-volume set: Volume I → methodology, criteria, policy logic Volume II, Part 1 → zone results (Northeast states) Volume II, Part 2 → zone results (Midwest + southern states) Volume I found that the region’s railroad system suffered from severe physical deterioration, financial insolvency, excess route mileage, duplicated facilities, and declining competitiveness. It recommended consolidating high-volume interstate routes, modernizing core corridors, coordinating operations among carriers, preserving financially justified local service, and addressing excess lines through abandonment, subsidy, or combined rail–motor service. In context, the report provided an analytical foundation for USRA’s later Preliminary and Final System Plans, which translated these recommendations into Conrail’s network, property transfers, abandonments, and subsidized service arrangements. Overall, the report framed the 3R Act restructuring around a central goal: preserving essential rail service while creating a more efficient, financially viable, and publicly affordable rail system.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  Federal Railroad Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5c043cbe117ec85a7104c3be070488814d0a86228006f3bfa0c9f3fa37ba40b4870f25839469f122816ca30a833e8bfa63a3703c85f5e47ab53e93ffc68f8ad8
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/90507/dot_90507_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.28 MB ]