High Profits, Big Expansion Projects For U.S. Railroads

Because of higher diesel fuel prices and increased imports of containerized products, railroads are earning record profits and investing in expansion projects.

1 minute read

March 2, 2006, 7:00 AM PST

By Charles Siegel


"After years of retrenchment, railroads across North America are reporting record profit and rolling forward with huge expansion projects of the kind that haven't been seen in decades.

The growth has been fueled by a continuing flood of cargo containers filled with Asian products, which ended the coal industry's 102-year streak as rail's biggest revenue generator in 2003 and has pulled farther ahead since then.

Railroads are gaining ground on the rival trucking industry, which has been suffering from sharply higher diesel fuel costs and a shortage of long-haul drivers."

Tuesday, February 28, 2006 in The San Francisco Chronicle

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