You will recall Brett Sebastian, from GoRail, presenting at the KLPG Annual Meeting on freight rail issues. In a recent email he requested that KLPG consider signing on to letter to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board regarding a “forced access switching” proposal. GoRail is organizing a statewide sign-on letter from Kansas opposing the proposed regulation.
According to GoRail, this proposal would allow certain users to petition the government to force a railroad to use its infrastructure and equipment on behalf of its competitor. For example, Union Pacific would get access to BNSF's lines because the government forces BNSF to provide that access across its network — not because it is the optimal route or because of any evidence of anticompetitive conduct.
It is Go Rail’s belief this policy threatens congestion and confusion on rail lines, consumer delays, blocked crossings, unsafe working environments, adverse impacts to Amtrak, and backlogs in the supply chain at the worst possible time.
A background sheet and draft letter are included for your review. A determination on participation will be made at the KLPG Winter meeting. If you have any concerns or comments please let Doug Smith know before January 25th.
