U.S. RAILROAD PRODUCTIVITY AFTER STAGGERS. IN: PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTY-THIRD ANNUAL MEETING, TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH FORUM, OCTOBER 31 - NOVEMBER 2, 1991, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

The Staggers' Rail Act of 1980 followed decades of detailed regulation by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). The legacy of a restrictive regulatory environment, combined with the rise of competitive modes and shifts of traffic, had led to the decline of the rail industry. There are some general indicators of improved productivity. The number of employees has shrunk while traffic declined only moderately, thus labor productivity is high. Gross ton-miles per employee increased over 50 percent from 1980 to 1986. But labor productivity figures can be misleading. It is a partial measure of productivity, i.e., it does not take into account the increase in other inputs -- notably capital -- which bring the productivity improvements about. Further, it is important to compare trends before and after deregulation to get a better grasp on the impact of the changed regulatory regime. This paper illustrates trends before and after 1980 for a few performance indicators for the industry, including trends in output per employee hour, per train mile, and per train hour.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Forum

  1600 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 905
  Arlington, VA  United States  22209
• Authors:
  • Tretheway, M W
  • Waters, W G
• Publication Date: 1991-11

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 521-531
• Serial:
  • Publication of: National Directorate Prevention Alcohol & Drug Pro
  • Publisher: National Directorate Prevention Alcohol & Drug Pro

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Deregulation; Performance; Productivity; Railroad trains; Railroad transportation; Trend (Statistics)
• Identifier Terms: Staggers Rail Act of 1980
• Uncontrolled Terms: Performance indicators
• Subject Areas: Public Transportation; Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00617928
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 31 1991 12:00AM