Rail freight transport

Rail freight transport is using railroads and trains to transport cargo. They don't transport human passengers. Trains may transport bulk material, intermodal containers, general freight or special freight in cars designed for a specific reason, Rail freight practices and economics are different by country and region.

A Class 92 hauled container freight train on the West Coast Main Line, United Kingdom

A freight train, cargo train, or goods train is a group of freight cars (US) or goods wagons (International Union of Railways) hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, transporting cargo all or some of the way between the shipper and the intended destination as part of the logistics chain. Trains may haul bulk material, intermodal containers, general freight or specialized freight in purpose-designed cars. Rail freight practices and economics vary by country and region.

When considered in terms of ton-miles or tonne-kilometers hauled, energy efficiency can be greater with rail transportation than with other means. Maximum economies are typically realized with bulk commodities (e.g., coal), especially when hauled over long distances. However, shipment by rail is not as flexible as by the highway, which has resulted in much freight being hauled by truck (all types: box truck, boom truck, ready mix cement truck, mobile concrete mixer truck, cutaway van chassis, water tanker truck, oil tanker truck, milk tanker truck, dropside truck, fire engine truck, container truck, tow truck, dual drive/steer truck, logging truck, garbage truck, stakebed truck, vacuum truck, beverage truck, platform truck, bucket truck, flatbed truck, sprinkler truck, car carrier truck, semi-trailer truck (tractor), and dump truck), even over long distances. Moving goods by rail often involves transshipment costs, particularly when the shipper or receiver lack direct rail access. These costs may exceed that of operating the train itself, a factor that practices such as containerization, trailer-on-flatcar or rolling highway aim to minimize.