Investing in Railroad Stocks

Railroad stocks were responsible for one of the first big investment booms in U.S. history. More than a century later, railroads remain a key part of the economy. Railroad stocks offer ownership in the companies that operate in the railway industry. Over the years, the industry has consolidated to a handful of titans responsible for moving most of the goods around the country and to and from ports.

As shippers and truckers faced disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, railroads held up better than most because of their unique 24/7 business model and ability to move a lot of cargo with very few people. And in an age where fuel efficiency is increasingly a priority, railroads are only growing in importance as the transportation solution of choice.

Transportation stocks tend to be cyclical, but rail holds up better than most in an economic downturn because rail companies are larger and better capitalized than trucking companies. Despite high oil prices leading to higher fuel bills, railroads also tend to do well when fuel costs spike because trains can transport a lot more cargo than trucks for each gallon of diesel burned.

For much of the 20th century, the railroad industry was plagued by bankruptcies. But today, thanks to years of consolidation and a recent push known as Precision Scheduled Railroading, the remaining companies are able to get more from their assets. The changes have brought down costs throughout the industry and allowed the companies to return more cash to shareholders.

2. Canadian Pacific

Canadian Pacific (CP -0.38%) was historically the smaller of the two major Canadian railroads. That changed with the company's 2023 acquisition of Kansas City Southern. The deal gave Canadian Pacific a vast network down the spine of North America to a deep-water port in Mexico. This network, coupled with its existing east-west track across Canada, allows freight to travel around the continent seamlessly.

Railroad mergers have a long history of getting off track, and investors should tread cautiously during what is likely to be a multiyear integration process. But if all goes according to plan, the new Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern combination can be a new North American transportation powerhouse.

3. Canadian National

CSX (CSX -1.37%) is primarily focused east of the Mississippi River, with more than 20,000 miles of track and access to 70 ports. Due to the more congested landscape, East Coast railroads have historically been less efficient than their Canadian and Western counterparts.

Still, CSX has made great strides in recent years in improving its operations. CSX has delivered compound annual growth of more than 9% over the past five years.

CSX has officially existed only since 1980, but it is a combination of a number of railroads that have been around since the dawn of the U.S. rail age, including the Baltimore & Ohio, the oldest in the nation. The company faces the challenge of maintaining and modernizing many century-old assets along the rails, but it has still generated reliable profits.

5. Norfolk Southern