Photo courtesy of Norfolk Southern
Railroads serve us well. From America’s expansion westward in the mid-1800s to moving troops, supplies, and consumer goods, our Nation has depended upon the rail industry. The June DTJ offers some perspectives starting with Warfighter needs in Afghanistan. Many thanks to all who shared rail resources: the Center for Strategic and International Studies; the Defense Freight Railway Interchange Fleet and the Rail Business Section (SDDC); Duke University Library Archives; US Transportation Museum (Ft. Eustis, VA); and our NDTA Rail Members— Association of American Railroads, BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Kansas City Southern, and Union Pacific.
Railroads to the Rescue By Denny Edwards
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n WWI, it was the railroads that carried the majority of armaments, supplies, and troops that helped bring victory to the US. Sadly, the “war to end all wars” turned out to be a slogan only, and in less than 25 years we were engaged in WWII. Once again, in even greater measure, we depended on the Nation’s railroads to support the war effort. But the importance of railroads is not all about history. Fast forward to our current situation in Afghanistan, and once again it looks like rail will play a crucial role resupplying our armed forces. To transport 10 |
Defense Transportation Journal
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US military supplies to the war zone from the seaport of Karachi on the Indian Ocean through Pakistan to landlocked Afghanistan, there is only one dangerous and highly vulnerable road. This 1000-mile-long route subjects civilian drivers (who are not allowed military escorts) to kidnapping, ransom, road-side bombs, and ambushes while transiting the infamous Khyber Pass and the hostile terrain of the Hindu Kush. Since early 2006, US Forces have been looking for alternate, and more secure routes to resupply Afghanistan. Their efforts bore fruit in mid-2008 with the opening of the Northern Distribution Network (NDN): several routes to the
June 2010
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