Stung by the overall downturn in trade, the growing diversion of cargo through Canada and the looming expansion of the Panama Canal, port authorities have teamed with Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads – the two carriers with a virtual monopoly on access to West Coast ports – to create a united front against ports on the East Coast, Southeast, Texas, Canada and Mexico. Their goal, which seemed inevitable just a few years ago, is to ensure the West Coast remains the dominant trade gateway for U.S.-Asia trade. But that was before cargo volumes dropped and rival seaports began an exhaustive campaign to convince Asian-based carriers that the West Coast was unreliable and costly.
