trains vs trucks

[Anonymous]

Hello Andrew: I have worked for the G.N., B.N. and now the B.N.S.F.in the Everett and Seattle areas for 30 something years. Usually when I am in Everett, I prefer the jobs out of Delta Yd. What a mecca for efficient transportation!? You're right about what a choke point this area is. It's amazing that they have any business left in the area. But that amazingly is the way it's always been on the R.R. in this area. Management never went after the customers from Van. B.C. to Portland areas, and continue to maintain a cavillier atitude that was and is always a huge curiosity to people in operations like myself. When will this change? I still have no idea. The new wave of Trainmasters and Exempt personell in general are only interested in spying on employee's, looking for any and all of the smallest safety violations. I'm all for improving safety, but the use of night goggles etc. around the Bayside, and Delta Yds. area is a little heavy handed. Are you aware of the lastest near head-ons between the Talgo from Van. B.C. and 'light-engs.' in the Interbay Yd. area recently? As you probably know, having only one person in the cab, no matter how long the run , makes no sense. And until that changes, some Amtrak 'runs' in our coridor are better left to braver souls. You can bet that Amtrak will "circle the wagon's" on happening's like this. Take care....Hommie

[jsanchez]

I agree with Jonathan,
Speed is everything and customers are willing to pay for it whether its by rail or by truck. Someone should invent high speed rail freight 125mph+, imagine the market share railroads would gain and benefit to industry. Trucks aren't so fast once they enter the realm of N.Y., L.A., Washington D.C. Atlanta, etc....

James

[andrewjonathon]

I agree with you that rail management is not doing enough to fight for the business with the trucking companies. However, the bottom line is that even if they did aggressively market themselves, the railroads would not keep the business for long. This is because what matters is not how you get the business but what you do with the business once you have it. What railroads do with the business is they park it in the nearest yard possible. In my neck of the woods it takes BNSF/BC Rail 48 to 72 hours to move a load of lumber from North Vancouver to Everett, WA, a distance of less than 150 miles. If the load is heading to California for example, any trucking company worth its salt will have already delivered it to the customer while the railroad is still attaching it to the next 'hotshot' freight. If this what the railroads do with their current business (and it seems everyone including the railroads agree that it is) then adding additional loads is not going to speed things up but slow them down further. I suggest that the railroads should concentrate on 'thinking outside of box' and figure ways to improve the transit times of the traffic they have. That would do more to increase the business than slick marketing plan which they fail to live up to once again.

[Anonymous]

Bruce,
As a long time traveler of our interstate system, I share your sentiments about the dangerous and destructive "freight trains" that hog our highways. These behemoths belong on the rails. By my calculations, trucks burn 15 times as much fuel per ton-mile as mainline freight trains. Wish someone would explain to this forum why our class 1 railroads are content to let the trucking industry eat their lunch. My suspesion is that RR management is too comfortable in their plush offices to get out and fight the dirty battle with the agressive trucking industry. When I'm driving in a endless convoy of double and tripple trailers, running parallel to an empty main track for mile after grueling mile, It just makes me wonder: "what is Railroad Management doing right now?".

[Anonymous]

HELLO AGAIN GREGG...THE SHILL FOR MANAGEMENT. ANY AND ALL EMPLOYEE'S I'M SURE WOULD WANT THEIR EMPLOYER TO HAVE ALL THE BUSINESS POSSIBLE, AND TO HAVE A HEALTHY WORK ENVIRONMENT BY SUCH ACTIONS. I'M NOT SUCH A CALOUS INDIVIDIDUAL AS TO WISH OTHERWISE. I'M A LONG TIME STOCKHOLDER IN G.N. STOCK AND HOPE FOR A HEALTHY AND SAFE ENVIRONMENT DESPITE THE ACTIONS OF MANY OF MY SUPERVISORS.

[thirdrail1]

Perhaps one of the railroads' biggest problems are the number of employees like you, who consider the customer as much of an enemy as the company. In my long railroad career, I saw numerous instances of union crews purposely running off traffic.

[Anonymous]

AS YOU GENT'S PROBABLY KNOW, THE RAILROAD I WORK ON (B.N.S.F.) REALLY DOES'NT WANT ANY BRANCH LINE WORK. THAY WANT NOTHING BUT THE EAST-WEST HIGH IRON BUSINESS. THAY SUB-OUT AND HAVE SOLD OFF VAST EXPANSES OF TRACK. LEAVING THE ROADS TO BE FURTHER CLOGGED WITH VEHICLES THAT TEAR UP THE ROAD'S AND CAUSE MAJOR HAVOK ON THE HIGH-WAYS.

[Anonymous]

Just wondering, why do I have to pull intermodel
from Dallas (KCS,UP) to the Port of Houston?

[thirdrail1]

These days, cars spend at least 24 hours in each yard and often cars have to move through multiple yards in big cities. In the case of the movement to Philadelphia, the cars actually went to Allentown and back to Philadelphia before they were placed as the only way to get from one particular yard to another was via Allentown.

[MP57313]

Gregg,
Why is that (4 days) ? I never understood the long delays...from an outsider's view the yards don't always look THAT busy these days.

[thirdrail1]

"Hotshots" never have stopped anywhere but the main classification yards. Intermodal can only be competive where at least a trainload (actually should be a least FOUR trainloads - one very six hours) a day can be generated. Service from a major class yard to a siding in a big city is often slower than from the same yard to a rural destination. For example, it would take CSXT and CR six days to get a car from Florida to Philadelphia, then another four to place it on the customer's siding.

[Anonymous]

Gregg...a good point. However, a question: do the hotshot intermodals and time freights pause to drop cars/shipments in the "small" towns - re "on time" service? Or do they transfer goods to backtracking trucks/branch lines to get them to their small town destinations? Just a question, not an argument!

[thirdrail1]

That is certainly a gross oversimplification if I ever heard one. It is like saying that the Interstate Highways only serve large cities. How do you think you get between large cities, why through smaller towns, of course. Oh, and I suppose the 500 smaller railroads that handle 25 percent of the traffic don't mean anything either.

[Anonymous]

a large part of the problem is that the class one railroads only serve the larger towns and cities. rails to the smaller ones have all been pulled up.