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In a bustling corner of West Virginia, a 110-year-old railroad regularly delivers limestone from a quarry to a factory where Clorox uses it to make kitty litter.
The railroad, Winchester & Western, is small, but it reveals the economic and environmental benefits of moving freight by rail.
One delivery by the kitty litter express, a service that started three years ago, replaces 48 truck journeys, a relief to the busy roads around Martinsburg, where the factory is. The train emits far lower amounts of greenhouse gases than trucks would, helping Clorox to meet its environmental goals. The company also says the rail service costs less than trucks.
“It is one of the most powerful tools we have for the community,” said Doug Long, Winchester & Western’s general manager and a native of Martinsburg, his voice louder than most because of the years he has spent riding locomotives.
Mr. Long said other companies had set up plants in the area because of the logistical advantages offered by the railroad, which is hauling over a third more freight than it was in 2020.
Now, much larger railroads want to make similar gains across the United States. Their leaders are trying to win back business lost over the years to trucking, their main rival, and they are making some big moves to do so.
