Participants line up to bend STB’s ear at rail growth hearing

“While the Board recognizes that some shifts in volume may not be primarily within the control of rail carriers, the Board has observed that over the past ten years carload volumes have not grown, and have in fact decreased,” the STB said in announcing the hearing. “The Board wishes to explore how industry participants are strategizing and innovating to reverse this recent trend and achieve freight rail growth. The Board is also interested in shippers’ plans or desire for future use of rail, factors that may affect shipment decisions, and what rail carriers are doing and can do to increase shippers’ use of rail. This hearing presents a chance to discuss opportunities for growth in the freight rail industry, as well as the challenges and effects associated with a failure to grow.”

Thirty-eight companies, associations and individuals have asked to participate in the hearing. Requests to testify were due at the STB Wednesday; written testimony is due by Friday.

Among those notifying the board of their intent to participate:

Railroads

• BNSF Railway Chief Marketing Officer Tom Williams and Chief Legal Officer Jill Mulligan
• CN Chief Field Operations Officer Derek Taylor and Chief Strategy Officer Patrick Lortie
• CPKC Chief Marketing Officer John Brooks
• CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs and Chief Commercial Officer Kevin Boone
• Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw
• Union Pacific Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales Kenny Rocker
• American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association: Executives from Sierra Northern Railway, R.J. Corman, Iowa Interstate Railroad, New York & Atlantic Railway, and Genesee & Wyoming, along with ASLRRA’s top legal officer
• Association of American Railroads CEO Ian Jefferies and Chief Economist Rand Ghayad

Shipper trade groups

• Alliance for Chemical Distribution
• American Chemistry Council
• American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers
• Freight Rail Customer Alliance and National Coal Transportation Association
• Growth Energy, which represents biofuel producers
• National Grain and Feed Association
• National Industrial Transportation League
• National Mining Association
• Private Railcar Food and Beverage Association
• The Fertilizer Institute

Suppliers

• Half53
• Hum Industrial Technology
• OptiFuel Systems
• Parallel Systems
• Railway Supply Institute
• Solutionary Rail, an advocacy group that explores rail transportation and the public interest

Lobby groups

• CPAC Foundation’s Center for Regulatory Freedom
• Washington Legal Foundation

Rail Labor

• Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
• Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division/IBT; Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen; International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; SMART-TD Mechanical Division; International Brotherhood of Boilermakers; National Conference of Firemen and Oilers; Transport Workers Union of America
• SMART-TD
• Transportation Trades Division of the AFL-CIO

Wall Street analysts

• Loop Capital Markets
• Wolfe Research

Consultants

• CNJ Rail Corp.
• Highroad Consulting
• Oliver Wyman LLC