Modesto and Empire Traction Company (M&ET) is a short-line railroad situated in a 2,000-acre industrial park known as the Beard Industrial District in Modesto, California. While our main line may be only 5 miles long, we operate and maintain an additional 48.7 miles of track within the Beard Industrial District.  Modesto and Empire Traction Company serves numerous customers in the District and can provide rail shipping to all of the continental United States, Canada, and Mexico through daily interchanges with both BNSF Railway (BNSF) and Union Pacific (UP).

We remain family owned and have been since Modesto and Empire Traction Company began operating in 1911.  While initially intending to operate as a passenger service, for over 80 years now, Modesto and Empire Traction Company has succeeded in satisfying local industry's rail freight and transload needs.  It is our intent to continue doing so .... as Modern and Efficient Transportation .... thanks to our terrific customer base.