Railway Express Agency

Railway Express Agency
Formerly
  • American Railway Express Agency (from 1918)
  • American Railway Express Inc. (until 1929)
  • Railway Express Agency (1929–1960)
  • REA Express, Inc. (1960–1975)
PredecessorsRailway express operations of:
FoundedJuly 1918 (1918-07)
DefunctNovember 1975 (1975-11)
Headquarters
United States

Railway Express Agency (aka REA Express) (REA), founded as the American Railway Express Agency and later renamed the American Railway Express Inc., was a national package delivery service that operated in the United States from 1918 to 1975. REA arranged transport and delivery via existing railroad infrastructure, much as today's UPS or DHL companies use roads and air transport. It was created through the forced consolidation of existing services into a national near-monopoly to ensure the rapid and safe movement of parcels, money, and goods during World War I.

From 1929 to 1973, REA also had monopoly on "air express," with air transportation provided by scheduled air carriers, the ground component provided by REA and revenue split between them. In fact, REA's provision of this service essentially legally defined the term "air express," with a caveat being that there were competing services categorized as "air freight" that surpassed REA's service in both speed and price.

REA ceased operations in 1975, unable to adapt to changes in the rail industry and increased competition from other modes of package delivery.

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