To the editor:

I have worked for the BNSF (and former Santa Fe) Railway for over 26 years. Most Americans aren’t aware that America’s railroads are currently handling record amounts of traffic while maintaining a fluid network to meet the needs of their customers. Railroads ship over 40 percent of our nation’s freight, and it is far cheaper to ship by rail today than it was 20 years ago.

All our goods have to come from somewhere, and most of them are delivered by trucks, which provide valuable door-to-door delivery upon which most businesses rely. However, it is noteworthy that the rail and the trucking industries have established an intermodal partnership to transfer truck trailers from rail to trucks and vice versa. Rail can ship one ton of freight 400 miles on just one gallon of diesel fuel.

This growing intermodal movement of consumer goods is translating into cheaper prices for consumers. Although automobile and truck drivers will surely enjoy the benefits of the two additional lanes being constructed on the Kansas Turnpike between Lawrence and Topeka, we should all encourage Congress to adopt policies that increase rail capacity and save the American people billions of dollars over the long run.

Mike Lawrence,

Lawrence