SOURCES OF FINANCIAL IMPROVEMENT IN THE U.S. RAIL INDUSTRY, 1966-1995

The main problem facing the rail industry is that nearly all of its hard-earned cost savings are given to customers in the form of lower rates. A difficult future may therefore be in store for the rail industry. The pace of productivity improvements is very likely to diminish over the next 10 to 20 years, while the pricing pressures unleashed by deregulation will only grow stronger. The combination could be enough to push the industry back into the financial morass of the 1970s. This is the time to consider the possible merits and approaches to re-regulation, and it is certainly time for senior railroad executives to re-examine their roles and objectives in the on-going public policy debates. If the thesis of this paper proves to be true, then the industry is headed for yet another cycle of financial woes, and public support will again be necessary to restructure and sustain the industry.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Forum

  11250-8 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 8
  Reston, VA  United States  20190
• Authors:
  • MARTLAND, C
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Forum, 39th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Montreal, Canada
  • Date: 1997-10-16 to 1997-10-18
• Publication Date: 1997-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 58-86
• Serial:
  • Volume: 1

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cost control; Deregulation; Financial analysis; Railroads; Reregulation
• Subject Areas: Economics; Finance; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00766598
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 22 1999 12:00AM