This interactive map shows the United States rail network: the six Class I freight railroads that carry most of America’s freight, plus Amtrak’s passenger routes. Click any line to see which railroad owns it, which other railroads have running rights over it, and whether it carries passenger service. You can also draw a box around any area and download the rail data behind it.
Feature Information
Download Rail Network Data
Use the rectangle tool in the map toolbar to select an area for download (maximum 50 miles x 50 miles).
How to download:
- Click the rectangle tool (⬛) in the map toolbar
- Draw a rectangle on the map to select your download area
- Choose your preferred download format below
- Click “Clear Selection” to start over
What This Railroad Map Shows
The map draws seven layers from the Federal Railroad Administration’s national rail data. You can switch any of them on or off from the layers control in the top-right corner.
- Amtrak (pink) – 49 named passenger routes
- BNSF Railway (orange) – 25,023 miles of owned US track
- Union Pacific (blue) – 26,960 miles
- CSX Transportation (green) – 17,584 miles
- Norfolk Southern (black) – 15,422 miles
- Canadian Pacific Kansas City (magenta) – 6,129 miles in the US
- Canadian National (yellow) – 5,955 miles in the US
What is not on the map: this is a Class I and Amtrak view. The roughly 600 regional and short line railroads operating in the United States are not included, and neither are yard tracks, industrial spurs, or abandoned lines. If a line near you is missing, a short line almost certainly operates it.
The Six Class I Railroads
A Class I railroad is the Surface Transportation Board’s designation for the largest freight carriers, set by an annual operating-revenue threshold. Six operate in the United States, and between them they own roughly 97,000 miles of the track on this map.
| Railroad | Reporting mark | US track owned | Territory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Pacific | UP | 26,960 mi | Western US |
| BNSF Railway | BNSF | 25,023 mi | Western and central US |
| CSX Transportation | CSXT | 17,584 mi | Eastern US |
| Norfolk Southern | NS | 15,422 mi | Eastern and southeastern US |
| Canadian Pacific Kansas City | CPKC | 6,129 mi | Midwest to Gulf, into Mexico |
| Canadian National | CN | 5,955 mi | Midwest and Gulf corridor |
Track ownership is not the same as who runs the trains. Railroads routinely operate over each other’s track under trackage rights, which is why clicking a line shows an owner and, often, a different railroad with rights over it.
How to Use the Map
Getting around
- Scroll or use the +/− buttons to zoom; click and drag to pan.
- Switch between Streets, Satellite and Topographic base maps from the layers control.
- Turn individual railroads on or off from the same control to isolate one network.
Clicking a line
Click any rail line and the information panel shows the owning railroad, any trackage rights held by other carriers, and whether the segment carries passenger service.
Downloading rail data
- Click the rectangle tool in the map toolbar.
- Draw a box around the area you want. The maximum is 50 miles by 50 miles.
- Choose GeoJSON, KML or GPX and download.
GeoJSON suits QGIS, ArcGIS and web mapping; KML opens in Google Earth; GPX loads onto handheld GPS units.
Where the Data Comes From
Every line on this map comes from the National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD), published by the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics from Federal Railroad Administration source data. The North American Rail Network lines were last updated on 28 April 2026 and the Amtrak routes on 12 May 2026.
This is periodically published infrastructure data, not a live feed. It shows where the tracks are, not where the trains are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this map track trains in real time?
No. This is a map of rail infrastructure, not a live train tracker. It shows the location and ownership of the track itself. It will not tell you where a particular freight or passenger train is right now, and it does not update as trains move.
How current is the data?
The rail network lines were last updated on 28 April 2026 and the Amtrak routes on 12 May 2026. The FRA and BTS republish these datasets periodically rather than continuously, so the map reflects the most recent national release.
Which railroads are on the map?
The six US Class I freight railroads – BNSF, Union Pacific, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National – plus Amtrak’s 49 passenger routes.
What is a Class I railroad?
It is the Surface Transportation Board’s classification for the largest freight railroads, based on an inflation-adjusted annual operating revenue threshold. Six qualify in the United States. Everything smaller is a regional or short line railroad.
Does it show abandoned or inactive rail lines?
No. The map shows track that is part of the active Class I and Amtrak network. Abandoned corridors, out-of-service lines and rail trails are not included.
Why is the railroad near me missing?
Most likely a regional or short line railroad operates it. Around 600 of them run in the United States and this map covers only the six Class I carriers and Amtrak. Yard tracks and industrial spurs are also excluded.
Are passenger rail routes included?
Yes. Amtrak’s 49 named routes are drawn in pink. Note that Amtrak owns very little of the track it runs on – outside the Northeast Corridor it mostly operates over freight railroads’ lines, so an Amtrak route will often sit on top of a Class I line.
Can I download the rail data?
Yes. Use the rectangle tool to select an area up to 50 by 50 miles and export it as GeoJSON, KML or GPX. The data is public domain US government data from NTAD.
Can I see railroads for one state?
Yes. Every state has its own rail map with the lines, operators and mileage for that state – the full list is at the bottom of this page.
More US Infrastructure Maps
- US Bridges Map – 620,000+ US bridges rated by condition.
- US Airports Map – another mode of the US freight and passenger network.
- US Electric Power Transmission Lines – the other great linear network crossing the country.
