North American Rail Network Lines

The North American Rail Network (NARN) Rail Lines dataset was created in 2016 and was updated on January 29, 2026 from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)/Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD). The NARN Rail Lines dataset is a database that provides ownership, trackage rights, type, passenger, STRACNET, and  geographic reference for North America's railway system at 1:24,000 or better within the United States. The data set covers all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Mexico, and Canada. The RROWNER1–3 fields identify the parties responsible for operation, maintenance, and/or ownership to the railroad. It includes the railroad dispatcher (operational control) identifying the specific railroad entity managing the movement of trains over that segment, the maintenance responsibility identifying who is legally obligated to maintain the rail line, and/or the property owner (land and right-of-way) identifying the entity that owns the underlying land. While many railroads own their right-of-way (ROW) in "fee simple", others operate on land owned by a third party. The same entity may fulfill one or more of these roles on the same line.  A data dictionary, or other source of attribute information, is accessible at https://doi.org/10.21949/1528950