GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jul 27, 2026
Trackage Rights
Trackage rights – in German 'Streckenrechte' – are the contractually granted right of one railway to operate its trains, usually with its own crews, over the track infrastructure of another railway.
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Source: https://www.trains.com/trn/train-basics/abcs-of-railroading/trackage-rights-same-line-two-railroads/
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Trackage rights – in German 'Streckenrechte' – are the contractually granted right of one railway to operate its trains, usually with its own crews, over the track infrastructure of another railway. The owner receives a fee from the user, known as the tenant. With pure overhead or bridge rights, the tenant may only run across the foreign line without serving customers along the route; full trackage rights include serving shippers. Trackage rights play a central role in rail mergers: competition authorities such as the US Surface Transportation Board often require them as a condition so that shippers at locations served by only one carrier keep alternatives. They are frequently first agreed in a memorandum of understanding. For freight forwarders, new trackage rights can open additional routings via rail yards and hubs. Not to be confused with a private siding, which is a private track on company premises.
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