Railway Express Agency

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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)
Predecessors	Railway express operations of: Adams Express Company American Express Company Southern Express Company Wells Fargo & Co and three others
Founded	July 1918; 106 years ago (1918-07)
Defunct	November 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.

REA ceased operations in 1975, unable to adapt to changes in the rail industry, and increased competition from other modes of package delivery.^[1][2]