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Article: Workin' on the railroad: railroad infrastructure improvement projects open the door for surveyors who are willing to learn the basics.
- Article from:
- Point of Beginning
- Article date:
- December 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 BNP Media. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Railroads are a vital part of North America's freight transportation system. According to the Association of American Railroads (AAR), more than 600 freight railroads operate in Canada, Mexico and the United States on over 173,000 miles of track. In the United States, an estimated 40 percent of all goods are transported by rail, and that percentage is growing. The U.S. Department of Transportation projects that total freight demand will rise by 92 percent from 2002 to 2035.
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To meet this increase, railroads have been investing billions of dollars. In 2007 alone, freight railroads spent almost $10 billion to expand and maintain ...