An official with BNSF Railroad says they’re making progress on the rail service issues plaguing the agricultural industry and can handle the record harvest. BNSF Ag Products Group Vice President John Miller says they’ve invested $5 billion in rail infrastructure including 5000 rail cars and they’re also working on rail line capacity. He says while they don’t prioritize grain for shipment, their turn times have improved.
Some elevators say they’ve seen no change in service and are still dealing with record prices for rail cars. However, Miller says the price is a secondary market issue.
Wednesday the Surface Transportation Board issued an order requiring railroads to regularly provide shipping status updates to the public and ease the service delays plaguing the industry. He says they understand the additional transparency the STB is seeking. However, they’re already communicating key logistical information to the marketplace.
The order
requires all Class I railroads to report grain train speeds, dwell times, oil train volumes
