Getting Things Done Is What We’re All About

Chuck Baker, President, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association

ASLRRA PERSPECTIVE, RAILWAY AGE JUNE 2022 ISSUE: The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association 2022 Annual Conference and Exhibition came roaring back in May with participation and enthusiasm returning to pre-pandemic levels.

More than 1,400 individuals attended; the exhibit hall was packed with nearly 200 suppliers and contractors showcasing their wares; and senior officials from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) provided insight into the many new and fully funded infrastructure grant programs available for short line railroad projects. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), a senior Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, provided a thoughtful and entertaining keynote address that focused on the need for Congress to prioritize getting things done over getting on cable television and sounding off on Twitter. 

Getting things done is what short lines are working hard at during a time of difficult supply chain issues, both within the U.S. rail industry specifically and throughout the global logistics network more broadly, exacerbated by ongoing COVID-19 convulsions. These supply chain challenges and frustrating rail service problems dominated the conversations at this year’s meeting. These problems are not easily solved, but we did coalesce around some messaging to our four most important partners. 

To our customers: We pledge to double down on what we have always done, which is bending over backward to “get to yes” on your needs. We’ll switch you multiple times a day if necessary; we’ll store your extra cars; we’ll pick up the phone 24/7; we’ll work with you on creative moves; we’ll integrate with the rest of your supply chain. We will continue to invest heavily in our infrastructure so we can move your traffic as efficiently and safely as possible. We’ll make it so our success is dependent on your success, and you’ll know you got the best price possible to move freight over land and world-class responsive service.

“Getting things done is what short lines are working hard at during a time of difficult supply chain issues, exacerbated by ongoing COVID-19 convulsions.”

To our Class I railroad partners: We take our first mile/last mile responsibility seriously and we pledge to work as closely as possible with you to turn assets efficiently, interchange effectively, and serve our mutual customers with the highest standards. We will continue to develop new carload traffic and move it onto the railroad network in a way that benefits the customer, the short line, and the Class I. We know service under today’s conditions is a challenge and there are no simple solutions. But short lines are ready, willing and able to partner creatively to ease the pressure wherever possible and do as much as we can to make the whole network function better than it does today. Where short lines can be integrated into your operations, we tend to serve as “shock absorbers” in the system, and the result is happier customers and more efficient railroad operations.

To the Surface Transportation Board (STB): We understand your concerns regarding service and appreciate that you have a responsibility to address these concerns in the public interest. To that end, your recent work on new data reporting requirements has been well done. We are optimistic that this increased public transparency and focus on customer-centric metrics will correlate with meaningful improvements in freight rail service over the coming months.

Beyond the data reporting, we urge you to work carefully, as we are confident you will. You have the power to significantly impact the economic health of the railroad industry, and the risks of the Law of Unintended Consequences are significant with potential regulations such as reciprocal switching and reverse demurrage. 

We applaud your recognition of the unique short line story and the role that short lines play in providing rail service. 

As National Industrial Transportation League Chairman Bruce Ridley recently testified before the STB: “Short lines have done their very best to help the customers work through these issues. And I commend them for that. The short lines are as constrained as the shippers in that they’re dependent on the Class I’s for service. But where customers have short lines in their first-mile/last-mile has made up for an awful lot of hassle. So, I commend the short lines, and their association, for their commitment to customers.” 

To the FRA/U.S. Department of Transportation: The short line industry applauds the emphasis the Biden Administration has placed on infrastructure, and short lines are excited to work with you on CRISI, RAISE, INFRA, PIDP and grade separation grants. Investing in short line railroad infrastructure is a highly effective way to improve service and safety across the railroad network. And with rail being the most environmentally friendly way to move freight, these grants will help to put more freight on the rails and help to achieve the Administration’s pollution reduction goals. 

At the same time, we urge restraint on unnecessary operating regulations such as a potential crew size mandate that would hamper the industry’s ability to innovate and compete in the future while providing no corresponding safety benefit.

As Rep. Davis would say, none of this will be highlighted on MSNBC or Fox News or spark a viral Twitter thread, but in the real world these are things that really matter, and this is where the short line and regional railroad industry will continue to concentrate its effort and energy.