Bottlenecks that have tied up U.S. supply chains are now spreading from ports to the freight rail networks, raising costs and adding new shipping complications for companies trying to manage the flow of goods, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Some retailers, for example, are waiting weeks to move cargo by train out of Southern California’s ports, while others are giving up on the railroads and shifting shipments of furniture, apparel and other consumer goods to trucks for long inland journeys on highways.
The backups stretch to major freight hubs including the key transit point at Chicago, where containers have been piling up at rail yards, freight executives say.
The congestion in intermodal operations, which combine truck and rail transport for longer freight hauls, is adding to delays. Read the full story.
