The Staggers Act at 35: Railroad Economics and Regulation

Abstract

This collection of papers includes authors who served on the National Academy of Science-Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee for a Study of Freight Rail Transportation and Regulation (2014–15) and other authors who participated in the Economics and Regulation of the Freight Railroad Industry Research Colloquium at Georgetown University (June 2015). It covers topics from the TRB report and a wide range of other topics related to the freight railroad industry. These include: a synopsis of the research and findings of the TRB committee, the financial performance of railroads since deregulation, examination of price regulation, costing theory and methods, measuring revenue adequacy, consequences of providing network access, as well as railroad safety. The collection provides a comprehensive review of regulation, economics, and current issues confronting the freight railroad industry.