Preliminary National Rail Plan: The Groundwork for Developing Policies to Improve the United States Transportaion System

Written by the Federal Railroad Administration

"This Preliminary Plan sets forth the FRA’s proposed approach to developing the long-range
National Rail Plan, including our goals and objectives for the greater inclusion of rail
in the national transportation system."

Step 4 - pp. 7: Objectives for Rail as a Part of a National Transportation System

Freight shippers don't just consider the cost of rail in its operation budget, they consider
the level of service (LOS) capacity of the system (based to reliability and convenience). To
increase the LOS, capacity will need to be expanded by adding new connections and expanding
service to eliminate and prevent future bottle necks.

Step 8 - pp. 28: Stakeholders and the Development of the National Rail Plan

This section demonstrates that a national rail plan requires the collaborative action between
the shareholders of freight rail, trucking shareholders and the public sector.