A lack of available trains has wheat piled up on the ground at the Cargill facility in Byers, CO. (Karl Gehring, The Denver Post) |
Electric utilities in Colorado have watched their coal
supplies drop in recent months because of clogged capacity on the nation's rail
lines. The congestion's biggest impact so far is on coal transport, but other
commodities such as oil, grain, and manufactured goods also are experiencing
shipping delays. Federal regulators and
grain shippers are particularly concerned about capacity constraints as this
year's wheat harvest is piling up at shipping terminals.
Part of the shortage stems from a surge in domestic crude
oil production, some of which is transported in rail tank cars. Analysts say other factors include an
improving economy that is pushing demand for rail transportation, and the
severe winter of 2013-14 that hampered rail operations.
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