CSX states to Wall Street on Tuesdays earnings call their growth in intermodal is largely from pulling trucks off highways as their intermodal is increasing while consumer spending is decreasing. So thats nice for a change they are making agreements with truckers instead of ripping off the traffic from a neighboring railroad.
Domestic intermodal - i.e., taking away some of the huge volume that trucks now have - is the biggest untapped market around. 'Bout time somebody started to move on it.
- Paul North.
For loads that move over 500 miles, absolutely. For shorter hauls, probably not as the cost of the dray would make rail much more expensive than truck, at least for full loads. Take Buffalo - Toronto for example. 90 miles.. truckload box rate is $700.00 roughly with door to door service of three hours (traffic). Lots of those little lanes that rail can't touch.. fortunate for dinosaurs like me who like trains but make our living with trucks.
Paul_D_North_Jr Domestic intermodal - i.e., taking away some of the huge volume that trucks now have - is the biggest untapped market around. 'Bout time somebody started to move on it. - Paul North.
If you want to have growth in revenue, or even to stay even to compensate for future declines in coal and oil and ethanol, picking up more intermodal traffic makes sense.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
It will be interesting to see if the Montreal-Dewitt IM traffic takes off. Even more interesting would be an alphabet routing that would take IM right down the I-81 corridor to Scranton and beyond.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Inbound to Montreal and Eastern Canada would be where the money is.. outbound freight is dirt cheap. Quebec is very much like Florida with a large consumer market and comparitively little in the way of production.
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