The four major U.S. Class I railroads are under heavy scrutiny by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) for not providing enough information regarding their rail service recovery plans. The STB issued a requirement for all four railroads on May 6th to submit a rail service recovery plan in response to shippers’ concerns about deteriorating rail service in recent months. STB went on record to report that, “The plans generally omitted important information needed to assure the board and rail industry stakeholders that the largest railroads are addressing their deficiencies and have a clear and measurable trajectory for doing so.” The reports were also supposed to address the actions each rail giant plans to take in order to improve the service and communications with their customers. Marty Oberman, chairman of the STB, stated that the board is still receiving reports about “persistent, acute and dramatic problems in rail transportation,” which are resulting in the disruption of supply chains and potential shutdown of companies. An article recently published by Freight Waves reports on the current discrepancies regarding the rail giants’ recovery plans.
To read the article, click here.
