Railroads of New York, Inc. (RONY) represents four Class I Railroads (CSX, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific and Norfolk Southern) and 37 Short Line and Regional Railroads that directly employ over 3,500 individuals in NYS. RONY’s member railroads provide access to the nation’s 140,000-mile freight rail network, enabling many of New York’s industrial, commercial and agricultural businesses to reach markets across the country and throughout the world via all U.S. ports and to realize a substantial competitive advantage over other businesses that lack access to the rail network. In addition to providing considerable economic benefits to the New York-based customers our railroad members service, freight rail is also the most environmentally-friendly way to move goods and products by land, as moving goods by freight rail reduces highway gridlock, lowers greenhouse gas emissions and reduces emissions of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. In addition, freight rail is also the safest way to move freight by land, including transporting hazardous materials that are required by Federal law to be shipped by rail because of the safety benefits freight rail provides over other land-based modes of transportation.
2019 Legislative Overview
