Here’s a fun fact: The U.S. freight rail network – 140,000 miles fully maintained by private operators that save taxpayers billions — accounts for 40 percent of all freight moved in the U.S. by ton-miles.

This includes bulk commodities such as grain, chemicals, and coal, which ultimately become finished goods, as well as consumer products bought directly on store shelves. Unlike other modes of transportation, the infrastructure that sustains this movement of goods is paid for entirely by the industry – some $26 billion annually of late – not by you or me through our taxes.