Forest Products Association Calls for Action Now on Rail Service

Friday, October 15, 2010 03:57 AM

Prince George, B.C.- The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is calling on the federal government to act quickly and decisively on the problem identified by the Rail Freight Service Review panel.

The interim report from the Rail Freight Service Review panel recognizes “there is a need for change” and that “improvement in rail service is required”. It goes on to make several recommendations that would help address some of the service inadequacies faced by all Canadian shippers. However the FPAC is disappointed the panel is relying on CN and CP to voluntarily bring in the changes with the government only considering regulatory measures after 2013.

“If the railways were serious about improving service they would have done so by now” says Avrim Lazar, the President and CEO of FPAC. “Service is poor because there is no effective competition. A delay is simply unacceptable and a deep blow to resource communities in rural Canada that depend on rail shipping.”

Lazar points to the panel report that notes “the major cause of rail service problems is railway market power, which leads to an imbalance in the commercial relationships between the railways and other stakeholders.”

For the forest products industry, most mills served by rail are captive to such a rail monopoly. “Why would the government want to give the railways another three years of virtual monopoly status, three more years to under serve and overcharge, and three more years of failing to adequately serve rural communities? The government needs to do its job now.”

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Posted on Friday, October 15, 2010 03:57 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: herbster on October 15 2010 6:57 AM

According to the BC Liberals and Canfor, selling off BC Rail would result in better service. Guess they lied (again).

Posted by: Princeg55 on October 15 2010 8:39 AM

Who ever said that industry always gets it right, the decision to unload BC rail was political and industry was following the master of the day. But that was yesterday and today its to all our benefit that the Feds act to jam the Rail road or face even more economic difficulty's

Posted by: Dragonmaster on October 15 2010 9:02 AM

Bombard the major shareholder of CNR and make it clear you won't buy any more Microsoft products.

Posted by: Eagleone on October 15 2010 9:18 AM

Mackenzie was almost killed for good from the implications of the BC Rail sale... should have been obviouse fron the get go. BC is as corrupt as they come....

Posted by: RUEZ on October 15 2010 9:49 AM

How was Mackenzie almost killed by the BC rail deal?

Posted by: REALIST on October 15 2010 10:47 AM

I specificaqlly spoke towards CN's record of poor car4 delivery before the sale. Once again the Campbell government was advised by experts that this would happen and yey again they refused to listen to those in the know. It appears to have been done deliberately. Perhaps it was part of the neo-con ideology of shifting the financial base to a more urban density through the destruction of rural infrastructure.Like someone who has fasd, these neo-con ideologists have no sence of repercusions from their machinations.

Posted by: govsux on October 15 2010 11:18 AM

I remember watching the industry reps and shippers all standing up saying why they wanted the sale to go through. Within a year service was terrible, much worse than under BC Rail, and the same industry people were screaming about costs and lack of service. They asked for it, they got it.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on October 15 2010 12:27 PM

Well said by all!
And for the most part,raol car service by CN hasn't gotten any better, dispite a long list of complaints.
Thank's Gordo.

Posted by: IMO on October 15 2010 1:14 PM

Yes well Campbell gave CN a 999 year lease with the sale so wave bubyeeee. A politician should not be able to lease out any resource or otherwise for more than they themselves can live. He has also leased out most of our rivers and plans are in the works to pipe water all the way to Mexico. I wonder what else?

Wake up I say....

http://www.bcfed.com/node/1085

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR0czlfyqlU

Posted by: BCPilotguy on October 16 2010 3:51 PM

I always giggle when I hear mills (the majority of whom suppported the BC Liberals and the sale of BC Rail) whining about rail service. They made their bed, now they have to lie in it!