WSIL - Industries across the country are bracing as freight rail workers edge closer to a strike - the deadline on Friday morning at 12:01. Amtrak has already started suspending services, but an ¾ÅÓÎÌåÓý Illinois University of Carbondale Associate Professor, Gregory DeYong said, if that strike does happen, Amtrak disruptions will be the tip of the ice berg.
"Kind of the canary in the coalmine is the Amtrak canceling trips," said DeYong, "because they don't know if they can get back."
DeYong has extensive experience in supply chains and how they operate. He said, if the strike does happen, transportation will problematic but likely not the priority.
"The biggest problem is freight shipments, which includes everything from raw materials to finished goods to personal packages to cars," DeYong explained.
DeYong said, that includes the shipment of grain, during a very untimely season.
"If all the rail is shut down, that's going to have a really bad effect," said DeYong. "And of course, it's mid-September, so harvest time is here and so that's going to be an immediate effect that's going to be seen as harvest time across the country."
DeYong estimates about 30% of goods will be freight on a train during one point or another during its shipment to its destination.
"Because it's super efficient; it's much more effective and efficient for long distance travel than a truck typically is and so it's a big part of the supply chain," he explained.
So, DeYong says, in the grand scheme of things, the railway plays an integral role in our overall economy.
"There's definitely potential to disrupt everything from A - Z when we actually look at what travels on rail," he said, " at least for part of its journey."
