8/7/2020 · The Freight Rail Network Running on almost 140,000 route miles, the U.S. freight rail network is widely considered thePerfectst, safest, and most cost-efficient freight system in the world. [1] The nearly $80-billion freight rail industry is operated by seven Class I railroads [2] (railroads with operating revenues of $490 million or more) [3] and 22 regional and 584 local/short line railroads. [4]