Are these means of transportation as valuable as air and other ground transport.portation

   The only disputes of usefulness and effectiveness come from the antagonists that are in a constant clash of  interest.  A large portion of businesses would rather use the railroads for transportation, because of the safety and convenience that it provides.  The amount of trust that is instilled with this system has proven to be the most innovative type of technology, when it comes to coping with such a demanding market and the eccentric flow of our economy.  
 
    Compared to road transportation and air travel, the efficiency of fuel outshines them in many aspects.  Trains have come a long way with improving fuel emissions, and are still becoming more green as time goes on.  The confidence and assurance that is expected from corporations is on such a high level of demand, only systems such as trains can deal with the pressure and difficulty that is presented in our society.

   The rail transportation network in the United States included about 120,000 miles of major rail lines in the late 1990s, on which carriers transported an estimated 1.3 million tons of freight annually. Trains are ideally suited for shipping bulk products, and can be adapted to meet specific product needs through the use of specialized cars.  Tankers are used for liquids, refrigerated cars for perishables, cars fitted with ramps for automobiles, and military transportation. It exceeds the speed of cargo ships, and is cheaper than road transport, while still having a smaller effect on the gas emissions.  Because they are so fuel efficient, some people think that trains are the transportation of the future. For example, Japan has a high speed train powered by magnetic force, and France has a high-speed train powered by electricity. Others think that railroads are dying as the tracks and trains are being replaced by airplanes and trucks.


   If railroads are overruned by transportation via air and truck, it will still stand as the most innovative discovery concerning our economy and means of communication.  And will still stand as America's  lifeline if all else fails.