On track: Understanding rail investment

On track: Understanding rail investment
Hunter Harrison. (Image: Getty)
Simon Robertson
Warren Buffett is well known for saying that if he was stranded on a desert island and only allowed one data set, it would be North American Rail Data. It comes out every week.At the core of the US Rail System are what we call Class I railroads. Besides Amtrack, which moves people, six key networks cover the country. These are all listed companies except BNSF, owned by Berkshire Hathaway.Rail is four times more efficient than trucks – it costs one gallon (3.8 litres) of fuel to move one ton 500 miles (805km). Further, there...

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