Posted on 05/29/2021 5:55:08 AM PDT by buckalfa
Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairman Martin Oberman yesterday asked all Class Is to provide an update on their preparedness to meet service demand as the nation continues to recovery economically from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a May 27 letter sent to Class I chief executives, Oberman expressed concern that recent rail service problems — as reported by some shippers — might relate to a broader trend of rail labor reductions over the past several years, in addition to the furloughs and quarantines brought about by the pandemic.
Oberman also asked the CEOs to provide information about the sufficiency of operating personnel and railroad equipment availability going forward, as well as longer-term expectations for hiring.
"The freight-rail industry has performed admirably during the COVID-19 pandemic and, as the nation’s economy recovers, I want to be fully informed as to the Class I railroads’ preparedness to meet forecasted demand, including the railroads having the necessary labor and equipment resources in place to provide safe, reliable and efficient service to customers," Oberman wrote.
The chairman also acknowledged that the pandemic significantly disrupted rail operations. He commended the Class Is for their communication with the board and stakeholders during the past year.
For discussion, since railroads are monopolistic in nature, is intervention by the STB proper and necessary to insure the nation's economic recovery is not derailed? Or would the economy be better served by letting the railroads respond to market forces.
Oberman is a Trump appointee to the STB. He is a Chicago pol filling a mandated Democrat seat.
“Progressive Railroading”? Is that a poorly named magazine or is it devoted to how to eff up railroads?
It is actually a reasonably good source about news and trends regarding the business side of railroading. The "progressive" part in their title comes from their advocacy of government subsidies for Amtrak and light passenger rail. The site may not pass FR's ideological purity litmus test, but I find nothing wrong in gleaning news from any source as long as critical thinking is applied. Know thy enemy.
They could start by making recommendations to The Big Guy to not clog up the rail lines with tank cars hauling crude oil when it would be more efficient to transport it via, oh, perhaps a PIPELINE.
The prog are never consistent with their version of reality, preferring their "truth" over facts.
That is why they need the propaganda machines they call "the media."
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Completely agree, and no problem reading any source. I was just trying to get a feel for the magazines leanings.
all tools of the bureaucracy to insert government control into business operations
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