FOR RELEASE
Contact: Janie Sheng (202) 245-0221
10/23/2008 (Thursday)
No. 08-31


FedRelay 1 (800) 877-8339
www.stb.gov



SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD ANNOUNCES PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS STUDY OF COMPETITION IN THE FREIGHT-RAIL INDUSTRY


The Surface Transportation Board announced today that it will hold a public meeting on Thursday, November 6, 2008 to discuss the independent study by Christensen Associates assessing the current state of competition in the freight railroad industry in the United States. The Board also announced that the Christensen study will be released to the public, via the Board's website at www.stb.dot.gov, prior to the public meeting.



The November 6, 2008 public meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the Board's Hearing Room on the 1st Floor of the agency's headquarters at Patriots Plaza, 395 E Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. At the meeting, the Board will discuss the study's findings with Christensen researchers. The public is invited to attend the meeting but will not be permitted to testify.



The study was undertaken pursuant to a contract the Board awarded to Christensen in September 2007. Christensen, a Madison, Wisconsin-headquartered economic and engineering consulting firm with extensive experience analyzing the transportation sector and other markets, was engaged to focus on providing a comprehensive analysis of a wide range of issues in the freight rail industry including competition, capacity, and the interplay between the two. The study also is expected to examine various regulatory policy alternatives. In addition to its quantitative research, Christensen conducted detailed, qualitative interviews with many key industry stakeholders.


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