Rail Capacity Dynamics in North America

Summarized by Hilary Till, Contributing Editor, Global Commodities Applied Research Digest

At the JPMCC’s September 2016 Research Council meeting, Mr. John Schmitter, President, KEP LLC, discussed rail capacity challenges. This digest article summarizes Mr. Schmitter’s presentation, in which he explained 1) how railroads fit in the commodity supply chain, 2) North American railroad industry characteristics, 3) rail capital investment and capacity, and 4) rail availability risk.