Year 2001 Alabama rail plan update

The State of Alabama is crisscrossed by some 4,728 miles rail lines hauling 93.5 million tons of cargo annually. There are five Class I railroads that operate in Alabama: Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Canadian National/Illinois Central, CSX Transportation, Kansas City Southern, and Norfolk Southern. The rail industry continues to evolve as it enters its third century. Changes in the rail industry are a reaction to changing market dynamics, innovative technology, and societal expectations. Several trends in the freight industry are affecting, and will continue to affect, the Alabama Rail system. The 2001 Alabama Rail Plan Update has been produced in accordance with and as a component of the Alabama Statewide Transportation Plan, as required by Section 135 of Title 23 of the United States Code. Statewide transportation planning is required by federal law under guidelines established by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Enhancement Act of 1991 (ISTEA). The state's eligibility for federal transportation funding is dependent on compliance with this statewide transportation planning requirement. The State Rail Plan Update, as required by 49 CFR Part 266, fulfills Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requirements that the state establish, update, and revise a State Rail Plan in order to receive Local Freight Rail Assistance funds should funding become available. The Alabama Rail Plan Update 2001 has been produced for the Bureau of Multimodal Transportation of the Alabama Department of Transportation by Burk-Kleinpeter, Inc., in association with the Parsons Transportation Group. The previous Update was published in 1992. Also, for the first time, an Alabama Rail Directory has been published as a companion to the Rail Plan Update. Copies of both documents are available from the Rail Section of the Alabama Department of Transportation. Figures, tables, appendices, 140p