News / US shippers indicate scant hope for rail carriers to regain business

© Nico Maglieri

In July the US Surface Transportation Board (STB) took the unusual step of summoning the Class I rail carriers to a hearing to examine strategies to regain dwindling business. However, preliminary input from shippers indicates that this quest is going to be an uphill battle.

Robert Primus, who took over as STB chairman in May, appears to be bent on pursuing the path of his predecessor, who repeatedly lambasted the railways on their service record and questioned their commitment to improvement. ...