Favorable BNSF article in LA Times

LA Times: Freight trains make big comeback in nation's transportation network

Brief passage:

Alana Samuels of the LA Times wrote:More than 4,000 miles of train tracks stretch through California, winding up the blustery Cajon Pass and snaking through the desert surrounding Barstow.

Those tracks could be seeing a lot more traffic in the next few years as trains loaded with Chinese-made toys, electronics and clothing roll eastward, connecting West Coast ports with cities across the U.S.

Warren Buffett is a believer. In November, the world's second-richest man paid $34 billion for railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., despite a deep downturn in the railroad industry. Buffett characterized his investment as an "all-in wager on the economic future of the United States." But it's also a bet on globalization and the renewed importance of rail in the nation's transportation network.

Of course, every West Coast port is served by only two class 1 railroads anymore: BNSF, UP. Pick one for your line haul out of the West Coast, or spend more on oceangoing freight to get your cargo to Houston, New Orleans, or an East Coast port...