Two loaded freight trains prepare to leave Long Beach. Read the full article in the LA Times by clicking on the photo.
About 40 percent of all goods that the U.S. receives in containers from overseas enter the country through the seaports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. That freight must then move overland to retailers across the country. The sheer volume of inbound cargo from Asia to North America – more than 40 million container loads last year – has made it cost-prohibitive to haul all those goods over congested U.S. highways. Rail companies have strengthened their networks and upgraded their equipment to handle the ubiquitous metal shipping containers to provide a nearly seamless transition from cargo ship to freight train to truck or any combination in between. … Environmental concerns are also helping to fuel rail’s comeback. Railroads can move a ton of freight an average of 457 miles on a gallon of fuel, according to the Assn. of American Railroads. Freight rail’s resurgence has been stunning for even some of its most die-hard devotees.