By Michael Angell, Bulk and Intermodal Editor, Freight Waves; May 20, 2019
For years, shippers have tapped spare capacity of railcars and tracks as a low-cost option for storing and staging bulk commodities.
But the widespread adoption of the business model known as “precision scheduled railroading” means the big U.S. railroads want to be in the moving business, not the storage business. And that poses a problem for the hundreds of shippers now looking where to store their tanker cars, hoppers, and gondolas.