Perspective on Two-Score Years of Railroad Deregulation
In the late 19th century, the U.S. railroad industry was regulated either by state railroad commissions or by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). Many experts believed that railroads were “natural monopolies,” that is, entities that could not be held in check by market forces alone because of their economies of scale. By the time freight and passenger rail were deregulated in the 1970s and 1980s, a century’s worth of rules and rate structures had to be undone. This article looks at the history of early railroad regulation, the origins of regulatory reform, and the passage of legislation including: the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, the Regional Rail Reorganization (3R) Act of 1973, the Rail Revitalization and Regulatory Reform (4R) Act of 1976, the Staggers Rail Act of 1980, and the Northeast Rail Service Act (NERSA) of 1981. It also discusses the increase in industry productivity and rise in traffic volume that took place after the passage of the Staggers Act.
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Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/07386826
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Authors:
- Gallamore, Robert E
- Publication Date: 2018-5
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Features: Figures; Photos; References;
- Pagination: pp 22-27
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Serial:
- TR News
- Issue Number: 315
- Publisher: Transportation Research Board
- ISSN: 0738-6826
- Serial URL: https://doi.org/10.17226/895
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Deregulation; History; Railroads; Regulation
- Identifier Terms: Northeast Rail Service Act of 1981 (NERSA); Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970; Rail Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 (4R Act of 1976); Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 (3R Act of 1973); Staggers Rail Act of 1980
- Geographic Terms: United States
- Subject Areas: History; Law; Railroads;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01674090
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
- Created Date: Jun 29 2018 10:31AM