DENVER AND RIO GRANDE WESTERN RAILROAD COMPANY

byname Rio Grande, American railroad chartered in 1870 as the Denver and Rio Grande Railway. It began with a narrow-gauge line extending from Denver south to New Mexico and west to Salt Lake City. The running time between Denver and Salt Lake City was shortened by eight hours with the opening of the 6-mile (10-kilometre) Moffatt Tunnel through the Rockies in 1934, placing Denver on a transcontinental route for the first time. The railroad operates along more than 3,000 miles (4,800 km) of track between Missouri and Utah and is one of the few American lines to carry passengers. Much of its freight revenues are from bituminous coal and lignite. Other sources include food products, lumber, and motor vehicles. The railroad was absorbed by the Southern Pacific Rail Corp. in 1988.