The US rail freight network faces severe congestion problems and could even grind to a complete halt, a US railway executive has announced.
According to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp CEO Matthew Rose, the entire country is set to face huge traffic jams which could be so severe as to bring the whole system to a halt for days.
Speaking to delegates at an industry conference in the US, Rose says the situation is so bad the entire network could be headed for a "rail meltdown" by 2035, writes AP.
The nation's 140,000-mile network of rails devoted to carrying everything from cars to grain by freight is currently feeling the strain of congestion, with trains forced to stand aside for hours because of one-track rail lines.
Rail company Amtrak, which shares the rails with freight trains, says its long-distance trains were on time just 42 percent of the time last year, according to a report by the US Department of Transportation's inspector general.
By staff writer
