The State Railway of America, Amtrack, has just published the results of a year-long investigation into the chronic passenger and freight train gridlock in Chicago.
Shipping delays on the freight line are so serious that customers often need to hold an extra 7 -14 days of stock in order to compensate for the delays. Chicago is the most important freight rail hub in North America – approximately 500 freight trains per day operate in and around the city.
These freight trains carry a third of all rail freight traffic in the USA, and approximately 60% of all rail intermodal traffic. More than 600 million tons of rail freight moves through Chicago each day. Because of the huge volumes of freight, even small delays in Chicago can have repercussions throughout the rail network in the USA.