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[quote user="1435mm"][quote user="CSSHEGEWISCH"] I'm quite aware of the statements that UPS and FedEx executives (especially FedEx) have made about the current state of North American rail service.  While UPS is quite willing to pay a premium for expedited service and has the traffic volume to get what it wants, I would not be too sure if it would be willing to a larger premium for super-expedited service and to pay extra upfront costs for the specialized equipment for said service.  After all, conventional truck trailers or even Z-van trailers would be unacceptable for TGV-type service or UPS would have to spend more money for transloading from road vehicles to specialized express cars.[/quote]Your take on this is correct.  FedEx Ground is mostly a regional and interregional LTL business focused on a small group of specific customers which makes it a poor fit for rail.  UPS is a national consumer-focused door-to-door system with economy of scale and product flows that can extract good value from using rail.  Emotion has nothing to do with it.  Transloads cost money and time, as does flipping from one size and shape of equipment to another.  The European model is interesting but hardly a made-ready prototype for North American emulation any more than North American models plop ready-made into a European setting.  Logistics is a global game and regional parocialism or ignorance of foreign practice are not significant factors in decision making. S. Hadid [/quote]UPS, FedEx, and DHL are all competitors in the same market, despite organizational nuances.  The statements made by the FedEx chief regarding the US rail system lead me to believe that they'd jump at the chance to utilize rail economies if transit speeds were improved.Bi-modal technology transcends national parochialism.  US-style TOFC (as prefered by UPS)wouldn't fit in Europe, but RoadRailer and RailRunner would.
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