to the National Atlas Home page
About | Fact Sheets | Contact Us | Partners | Products | Site Map | FAQ | Help 
AgricultureBiologyBoundariesClimateEnvironmentGeologyGovernmentHistoryMappingPeopleTransportationWater
to the Interactive Map MakerMap LayersPrintable MapsWall MapsDynamic MapsArticlesMapping Professionals
 
 

Map Layer Info

     
 
Railroads of the United States

What this map layer shows:

Major railroads.
opens the U.S. Geological Survey home page
Background Information
Sample map Sample Map
A railroad is a set of parallel rails on which a train runs. Railroads in the United States carry freight and passengers on more than 200,000 miles of track. The Federal Railroad Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation is responsible for overseeing railroad safety, planning, and development in the United States.

The Railroads of the United States map layer shows the major railroads of the conterminous United States and Alaska that can be represented at a map scale of 1:2,000,000 (1 inch on a map at that scale equals about 31.6 miles on the land surface). Some small railroads and closely parallel tracks cannot be portrayed at this scale. Descriptive information for each section of track includes the names of up to three railroad lines that own the track, as well as the Association of American Railroads reporting mark used to identify each railroad. This map layer was compiled by the National Atlas of the United States®.

 

Transportation
Map Maker Sample
Railroads
Articles
Amtrak Facts
Overview of U.S. Freight Railroads