Leveraging Reciprocal Switching to Create Rail Competition
Will competition save you from service failures?
A plant served by one railroad may still have a path to rail competition. Reciprocal switching can let another railroad compete for the line haul while the serving railroad handles the local switch. Download the briefing to see how the arrangement works and what determines whether a second route is a viable option for your freight.
The applicants’ merger filing proposes a Targeted Access Program: certain sole-served customers in terminal areas could seek expedited reciprocal switching, but only after service falls from a pre-merger baseline and below stated thresholds.
Pre-merger baseline. That is the phrase worth reading twice. A shipper who is not capturing service data today will not be able to prove the deterioration later. Understanding and documenting that baseline is a key step to preserving your rights under the Targeted Access Program.
PLG has prepared a short briefing by Steve Blinn on the Targeted Access Program and what reciprocal switching delivers. There are five questions that help you evaluate whether an additional railroad is a real option.
