The US Railroads- their evolution, structure and operations

Abstract

Both India and the United States of America share a common history of dominant role of railroads in the development of the economy. While the first common carrier of the US, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O, now part of CSXT), commenced services on a 13 mile stretch in 1830, railways commenced operations in India in 1853 on the 21 mile Mumbai- Thane stretch (1). While the US railroads expanded westwards over the next fifty years to bridge the American continent, Indian railroads were also being built to connect the vast subcontinent to the major sea-ports albeit at a much slower pace.