PUTTING THE CABOOSE BEFORE THE ENGINE?

The new round of end-to-end mergers differs from the side-by-side mergers of the 1960s. While ICC and DOT are on record as favoring mergers to strengthen the industry, only a few of recent mergers are an unqualified success. Most competitive gains achieved by merger are at the cost of other railroads, strengthening the roads that participate and damaging those which do not. Unsolved are basic problems such as low rates on freight that moves most naturally by rail; difficulty and delay in line abandonments and in releasing surplus workers; and unequal and subsidized competition that continues to divert traffic from private railroads to publicly supported highways and waterways.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00156914
• Corporate Authors:

  Forbes Incorporated

  60 Fifth Avenue
  New York, NY  United States  10011
• Authors:
  • Cook, J
• Publication Date: 1979-3-5

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 43-49
• Serial:
  • Forbes
  • Volume: 123
  • Issue Number: 5
  • Publisher: Forbes Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0015-6914

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Competition; Industry structure; Mergers; Operating costs; Policy; Profitability; Regulations; Transportation policy
• Identifier Terms: U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Old TRIS Terms: Government policies; Government regulations; National transportation policies
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Law; Policy; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00193752
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 26 1979 12:00AM