Lack of grain cars

[carebear300]

Explain to me in this age of terminals, computors and ultra modern big trucks we can't move any significant amount of grain when the weather is nice at and just after harvest time. I have done a little research into this matter and have come up with some suprising(to me anyways) discoveries. In the end although the supply of grain cars is tight at this time of year that isnn't the major problem. It is a shortgage of engines and crews to run the engines. And that by itself would be enough to get my blood pressure up but I live by a rail line which moves major amounts of potash. There is roughly six or seven trains a day every day the line is serviceable(no shortage of men or equipment to move it) If that is the case why do we have so much trouble with the grain end. Would like somebody to rationally explain this to me if you can.

[clancey]

Was it last year that CP Rail got fined for exceeding the revenue cap on hauling grain? If I was going to get fined for hauling too much grain, I would make sure I never exceeded the cap.

At the same time, privitizing CN Rail means it is never accountable for its performance in western Canada. It is only accountable to shareholders. Buy enough shares, and farmers can change railway priorities!

[TOM4CWB]

Carebear300;

Did you know some grain co's were paying up to $1000.00/ or $12/t for rail cars for October 2005 shipping?

I had no clue.

Brant@LDC was happy the FRCC got the cars, he said.

06-07 the railways want all cars to be bid cars!

I did not think this was supposed to happen!

What is going on?

[carebear300]

Thanks guys really appreciate it. I will have to digest this for a while and do some more thinking. The plot thickens!!!!!

[agstar77]

This opens up the whole can of worms as to whether others should be given running rights on the cn/cp tracks. If they cannot supply service at compensatory rates , they should be forced to open up their tracks just as anyone can take a transport truck on the highway after they pay as licence fee. Perhaps we need a new company created to administer rail infrastructure while others are only carriers. The thought of this might scare the railways into better performance.