U.S. railways are privately owned and, in theory, only build profitable lines—so why is the total length of U.S. railways longer than China’s?

Operations According to data from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), a total of 32 agencies operate commuter rail services across the United States. Some of these agencies operate trains directly, while others outsource passenger service operations. Major commuter rail systems include: the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Metro-North Railroad in New York and Connecticut; the Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) Rail; Virginia Railway Express (VRE); Metra in the Chicago region; and Metrolink in the Los Angeles area. Half of all commuter rail systems operate at least some of their trains on tracks owned by freight railroads; approximately 25% of the total track mileage used for commuter rail operations is owned either by freight rail companies—or, in the case of the Northeast Corridor (NEC), by Amtrak. Before operating on freight-owned tracks, commuter and freight operators enter into voluntary agreements specifying terms such as operating hours, track access coordination, and train frequency. These cooperative partnerships have significantly driven commuter rail expansion: the number of commuter rail systems nationwide has grown from six 40 years ago to 27 today. Using this definition, the mileage operated exclusively by independent commuter rail systems stands at roughly 6,000 miles. Urban rail transit systems, naturally, constitute a separate category (a tautology, admittedly). Adding these figures yields a total of 101,790 miles (= 163,815.13 km). North American railways are classified into three tiers: Class I, Class II, and Class III. Class II and III railroads collectively form the American Short Line & Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA). Its introduction states: About ASLRRA Overview: Founded in 1913, ASLRRA proudly represents entrepreneurial owners and operators of short line and regional railroads across North America. These ~600 small businesses play a vital role in hub-and-spoke transportation networks—typically providing the ‘first-mile/last-mile’ logistics links between farmers, manufacturers, and end consumers. Scope of Operations: Collectively, short line railroads operate 50,000 miles of track—nearly 30% of the entire U.S. rail network—and handle one-fifth of all rail freight cars at origin or destination points nationwide. Their track mileage has grown from 8,000 miles in 1980 to today’s 50,000 miles. They serve all 48 contiguous U.S. states, reaching literally every corner of the country—from forests and inland heartlands to coalfields. In some states, short line railroads control 100% of the state’s rail network; in 15 states, they operate over 50% of the rail network. Cargo transported includes chemicals, foodstuffs, aggregates (crushed stone/construction materials), and intermodal freight. This figure is clearly an estimate. A relatively precise official statistic shows Class II railroads operating 10,335 miles and Class III railroads operating 37,165 miles—totaling 47,500 miles.

[Cold Chain] The chemical cold chain market—a multi-billion-dollar sector—is growing rapidly.

• The Yangtze River Delta is the core concentration zone. Areas surrounding Shanghai—including Zhangjiagang, Changshu, and Taicang—form a hazardous chemical storage corridor along the Yangtze River waterway. East China accounts for 40% of the nation’s total cold storage capacity. Among coastal provinces, Jiangsu, Shandong, and Guangdong collectively hold the largest share of China’s chemical warehousing market. • The Pearl River Delta centers on Guangzhou, Dongguan, and Zhongshan, leveraging the Greater Bay Area’s electronics industry base to drive rapid growth in temperature-controlled warehousing demand. • The Bohai Rim region uses Tianjin Port as its northern hub; the South Port Industrial Zone features dedicated hazardous cargo container yards and refrigerated hazardous cargo (cold-haz) zones, equipped with real-time gas monitoring systems and specialized emergency response teams. • Inner Mongolia, Gansu, and Ningxia are witnessing the fastest growth in chemical warehousing demand, driven by the relocation of petrochemical production capacity toward renewable-energy-rich regions. • Wuhan, anchored by central China’s chemical industry cluster, has established a multimodal transport network featuring port-dedicated stacking areas, temperature- and refrigeration-controlled warehousing, and integrated customs inspection modules. China’s temperature-controlled infrastructure is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.81% through 2031, while temperature-controlled chemical warehouses are expected to grow at an even faster CAGR of 8.62%. – JiaShunDa Chemical Logistics’ Domestic Hazardous Goods Warehouse Network – 04 Key Ports for Chemical Cold Chain Logistics JiaShunDa Chemical Logistics has deep expertise in chemical cold chain logistics. Below are introductions to key seaport, landport, and airport cold chain logistics gateways for chemical cargoes—each a long-standing operational hub for our company’s import/export activities: Among them, Ezhou Huahu Airport hosts our headquarters KLN’s jointly built No. 1 and No. 2 international cargo terminals with SF Express. These terminals have achieved full IATA CEIV certification across four categories: lithium batteries, pharmaceuticals, perishables, and live animals—demonstrating exceptional professional capability. As of today, Ezhou Huahu Airport operates 40 international and regional air cargo routes, connects to 44 domestic feeder routes via the SF Express hub, partners with over 18 trucking carriers, and serves 34 transshipment destinations. 05 Chemical Cold Chain Transportation Modes 01 Maritime transport is the dominant mode for chemical cold chain logistics. Exports of cold-chain hazardous goods—including lithium battery electrolytes and photoresist chemicals—rely heavily on refrigerated containers (reefers), tank containers, temperature-controlled UN-certified boxes, and passive insulated containers. Tank containers are specifically designed for transporting toxic, hazardous, flammable, explosive, corrosive, liquid, or gaseous materials. 02 Air transport is ideal for high-value, low-volume, time-sensitive shipments. Air freight is suited for high-value, small-batch, time-critical temperature-sensitive chemicals. With advantages including speed, precise temperature control, and minimal exposure time, air cold chain transport is becoming the preferred solution for biopharmaceuticals and temperature-sensitive chemicals. Air shipments require aviation-compliant temperature-controlled UN boxes or passive insulated containers supporting multiple temperature ranges (e.g., 2–8°C, 16–25°C, −20 to −40°C), and strict adherence to IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) for hazardous goods declaration. 03 Land transport offers high regulatory control—ideal for inland Asia–Europe chemical shipments. Road transport is projected to handle approximately 15% of liquid chemical logistics volume. High-risk commodities—such as low-temperature ethylene—require specialized cryogenic tank vehicles, demanding stringent operational standards and safety controls throughout loading, transport, and unloading. The China–Europe Railway Express also provides a rail-based cold chain channel for chemical exports to Central Asia and Europe. Our company routinely operates hazardous chemical land transport routes covering domestic China, Central Asia, and Europe. 06 JiaShunDa Chemical Cold Chain Resources JiaShunDa Chemical Logistics possesses a comprehensive certification system and physical infrastructure network in the chemical cold chain domain, positioning it as a key service provider for chemical cold chain import/export logistics.

North American Chemical Rail Traffic Remains Near Year-Ago Levels

44 mins ago

New data from the Association of American Railroads shows North American chemical rail traffic continues near year-ago levels. During the week ended Sept. 19, chemical railcar volume totaled 48,677 carloads, up 5.3%.

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