(The following appeared on the DC Velocity website on June 7, 2011.)
The two Western rail giants, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad Co., are positioning themselves to capitalize on a potential bonanza: The conversion of millions of truckloads mostly moving west of the Mississippi to domestic intermodal service.
Omaha, Neb.-based UP estimates that approximately 11 million truckloads shipped within its service territory are candidates for conversion to domestic intermodal service. About 3 million of those move in UP’s 10 primary domestic corridors, according to the railroad. Fort Worth, Texas-based BNSF projects that 7 million truckloads in its territory are candidates for conversion. In 2010, BNSF handled between 2.25 and 2.5 million domestic intermodal loads, while UP handles, on average, about 2 million a year.
Full story: www.dcvelocity.com