“You would think that an alternative intermodal terminal would be built in, say, Memphis, Kansas City or St. Louis to compete with Chicago.”
Seems like pretty damned low-hanging fruit just begging BNSF to reach out and grab it.
One key reason I don’t think it will happen is that Warren Buffet is the biggest stockholder in BNSF. And, like all good Democrats, he thrives on the misery of others.