Rail customers ask Congress to reauthorize STB

Although they welcomed the new tentative agreement between the railroads and labor unions, the industry’s customers are calling on Congress to help resolve other freight-rail problems that continue to harm the U.S. economy and prolong the U.S. supply-chain crisis.

In a Sept. 15 letter to the House Transportation Infrastructure Committee and its rail subcommittee, the Rail Customer Coalition (RCC) stated its support for the proposed Freight Rail Shipping Fair Market Act to reauthorize the Surface Transportation Board to address a "major decline in freight-rail service."

The RCC is a large collection of trade associations representing a broad cross-section of manufacturing, agricultural, and energy industries that depend on the railroads to deliver reliable and affordable service. The coalition represents some of the nation’s largest customers of freight-rail service both by volume and revenue.

"Freight railroads are failing to deliver for American farmers, manufacturers, energy producers and consumers," the letter states. "The U.S. economy and the supply chain are being weakened by chronic and widespread rail service problems — from major delays to embargoes — that are preventing critical materials and finished goods from getting where they need to go."

The service failures are contributing higher prices and supply-chain disruptions for food, fuel and other products, the letter continues.

The legislation would help address those issues and support reform efforts underway at the STB, the RCC asserts. Specifically, the legislation would:

• provide resources to help the STB modernize its policies to better address today’s railroad challenges;

• require the development of service standards that would help hold railroads accountable when service falls short;

• strengthen the STB’s emergency powers to resolve urgent rail-service problems;

• create market conditions to promote consistent rail service; and

• establish incentives for improved and expanded freight-rail service.

The entire letter can be read here.