US vs Foreign River Systems

While infrastructure investments in recent years have significantly improved the U.S. inland waterway system, a recent report shows how competition from other global waterways could limit this success if quality maintenance and operations are not continued.

Earlier this year, the Eno Center for Transportation, an independent, nonpartisan think tank, published a report aiming to inform discussions about investments and the future of the U.S. inland waterway network, through the examination of six cases of major freight rivers around the world, evaluating their governance, freight flows, investment levels, and role in the global supply chain.

The chart below is a brief “by the numbers” look at some of the world’s major river systems, but the full report, “Waterborne Competitiveness: U.S. and Foreign Investment in Inland Waterways”, is available here.