10 May 2007
Fred Green Speaks
In yesterday's National Post, in regards to CP's pursuit of a
better operating ratio CPR President Fred Green said: "We're at a point where probably CN was a number of years ago. I'm not
proud. To the extent we can steal all of their best ideas and implement them, we shall do that as fast as we possibly can".
CN's best ideas... let's see:
- Run 200+ cars 13,000' trains that will break twice between Field and Calgary (four times in winter). Pumping the
brakes may also take an hour or two, but who cares, really;
- Run oversiding trains in both directions and wonder why the meet was longer than expected;
- Use only two units on a 16,000 tons train to ensure each unit will be totally worn out after only a few years of service. If you
underpower your trains sufficiently, you may even void the warranty on the units;
- Ensure that you buy very few locomotives each year, so few that you can claim having the oldest fleet of all Class I roads. Who
cares that a 35-year-old SD40-2 is on the point of your priority intermodal train anyway;
- The later also have the benefit of being perpetually power short, isn't that great;
- Chronically defer maintenance on your track to ensure the derailment rate is way up and slow orders covers most of your trackage.
Someday you will hit the jackpot: Mississauga 1979, take two;
- Combine trains to ensure service is as bad as it can ever be. If they get too long, don't worry, bad service will drive shippers
away soon;
- Piss off custommers and then abandon tracks claiming there is no viable traffic on it;
- Neglect new hires to ensure that crew shortagea become the norm, not the exception;
- I almost forgot, of course, employee morale is directly proportionnal to their productivity, so ensure that the work climate is
the worst it can ever be;
- Now, let's merge everything, pretend you're scheduled, but in fact put in as much reasons for delays that you can, crew shortage,
power shortage, slow orders, underpowered trains, oversiding meets, derailments, strikes, etc., then CP will be almost like CN;
Way to go Fred. If I owned CP stocks, I would sell them right away, and buy NS and BNSF. These are real class act railroads -
JF.
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