(The following appeared at www.CBC.ca. on March 21, 2011.)
OTTAWA — Canada’s largest railways say they are disappointed in Ottawa’s conclusion that further legislation may be needed to improve the quality of service they provide their customers, arguing it runs the risk of stifling innovation in the rail sector.
The federal government announced Friday it would be implementing the final recommendations of the Rail Freight Service Review, which was launched in 2008 to address systemic concerns about poor service from customers of Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.
Throughout the review, numerous service deficiencies were identified at both railways. For example, one of the consulting papers found that two-thirds of shippers surveyed said they had suffered significant financial losses as a result of poor rail service, sometimes costing them millions of dollars.
Despite both CN and CP implementing numerous solutions on their own since the review was launched, the panel concluded additional measures were needed.
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