Citing Congestion, 2 Major Railroads Divert Shipments Around Chicago

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n response to congestion around Chicago, two major railroads said they have begun a three-month process to divert some shipments around North America’s largest rail hub.

The railroads said they did not have plans to redirect intermodal shipments, which transportation industry officials said were the real cause of most of Chicago’s congestion problems.

Union Pacific Railroad and Canadian National Railway Co., the largest U.S. and Canadian rail lines, said they planned to begin rerouting trains “through the most efficient interchange locations, a change that will improve transit times.”

Instead of exchanging traffic in Chicago, the two carriers will shift their interchange points to Memphis, Tenn.; Superior, Wis.; Salem, Ill.; and Baton Rouge, La.

For the full story, see the Dec. 6 edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.