Rail leaders tout economic impact

Freight trains can cut shipping costs, and help make American manufacturing more globally competitive, a rail executive said.

Railroad industry leaders from around the country gathered Friday in downtown Chicago for a summit on the economic importance of short-line railroads, which are smaller regional companies that typically haul freight locally and bring in less than $20 million a year. Four different short-lines operate in rail-intensive Northwest Indiana: Indiana Harbor Belt; Chicago South Shore and South Bend; Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern; and Chesapeake & Indiana…Please click here to read Joseph S. Pete’s story in the Times.