(erielack) Some off topic but good news...

[Joe K <joesk_@_ix.netcom.com>]

Some interesting off-topic railroad news from other parts of the country:

The Wall St Journal reports that Union Pacific, the nation's largest 
railroad, and Burlington Northern are racing to be the first to run 
side-by-side tracks between Chicago and Los Angeles, the nation's busiest 
freight entry point. This 2,100-mile, two-lane railroad highway would allow 
multiple trains to travel the same route at different speeds -- and in 
opposite directions -- without trains having to stop or use sidings. BNI 
had a head start because a large portion of its Chicago-Los Angeles freight 
mainline, known as the Transcon, already had two lines. It has now 
double-tracked about 90%. That's far ahead of Union Pacific, which had less 
double track to begin with and constraints on capital spending. Union 
Pacific has completed only about 30%. The soonest either side could finish 
will be 2008. Whoever wins stands to capture the deluge of Asian DVD 
players, toasters, apparel and toys that are unloaded at the seaports of 
Southern California.

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