STB to hold hearing on rail competition

STB to hold hearing on rail competition    The U.S. Surface Transportation Board said Tuesday it will hold a public hearing on May 3 to explore railroad industry competition and possible policy initiatives to promote more rail-to-rail competition.
   'I said last year that it was time for the board to revisit the current rail regulatory framework and that is what we are doing,' said STB Chairman Daniel R. Elliott III. 'We need to strike a balance between providing access to competitive rail transportation for shippers while maintaining the rail industry's impressive economic renaissance.'
   The STB said it would explore many of the same issues that a bill introduced in the Senate in 2009 sought to address including complaints from captive shippers.

Elliott

   In a notice soliciting comments and explaining the reasons for the hearing the STB noted that “some    companies that either ship by rail, or would like to do so, have complained about being physically limited to a single rail carrier and would like to have greater access to competition from other railroads.    Some shippers have suggested that mandated access by a second carrier to singly served businesses would be in the public interest.”
   It noted railroads “have responded that such an action would undermine their ability to price their services differentially based on demand and that, as a result, they would be unable to earn enough revenue to invest sufficiently in their networks.”
   The STB says it has been “it has been some time since the agency has conducted a thorough analysis of these issues.”
   Among the issues the STB said it wants to explore are the financial state of the railroad industry, giving shippers alternative through routes for their cargo, access to terminal facilities, reciprocal switching agreements, bottleneck rates, access pricing, and the impact any changes might have on the railroad industry and shippers.
   The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m., in the Surface Transportation Board Hearing Room, at 395 E Street, SW in Washington. Written comments are due by February 18, and replies are due by March 18. Parties wishing to speak at the hearing must file a notice of intent to participate and written testimony by April 4. ' Chris Dupin