QUOTE: Originally posted by andrewjonathon The problem with comparing the customers that a shortline, such as WSOR, will serve with the customers a Class 1 like CN will serve is that shortlines have a very different cost structure. What may be a money loser for CN may very well be profitable for a shortline like WSOR. Maybe Class 1's should consider contracting out online switching to shortlines similar to how airlines contract out food preparation and airline maintenance etc.
QUOTE: Originally posted by CSSHEGEWISCH That sort of contracting out would be difficult to impossible under current union contracts. BN had a long dispute with the International Association of Machinists regarding contracting out of shopwork on the Oakway SD60's and LMX B39-8's.
QUOTE: Originally posted by futuremodal And utilities are charged with providing their service to both urban and rural customers. If the electric utilities behaved like the Class I's, they'd stop service to rural customers and focus soley on urban customers, because the maintenance costs of serving rural customers are higher than those for serving denser populations. This idea of railroads being just like any other business is ridiculous.
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