CURE :: Consumers United For Rail Equity

Media interested in interviewing a CURE member or in more information regarding recent news releases can contact Michael Fleischer at 202.667.0901 x130 or Michael.Fleischer@widmeyer.com.

News Releases (PDFs)

May 28, 2008
Rail Customers Oppose White House Nomination to STB

May 14, 2008
Congress Calls for Study on Impact of Rail Transport Problems on Rural America

May 1, 2008
Small Businesses, Farmers Bear Burden of the Railroad’s Monopoly Practices

April 30, 2008
House Committee Takes Aim at Railroad Monopoly Prices

April 23, 2008
Congressional Hearing Highlights Railroads’ Monopoly Practices

March 11, 2008
Rail Customers to Promote Rail Reform Legislation on Capitol Hill

February 25, 2008
House Judiciary Committee Focuses on Bringing the Railroads Under Antitrust Laws

February 8, 2008
Senators Urge Reid to Move Forward on Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act

October 3, 2007
Senate Hearing Spotlights Need for Railroad Antitrust Coverage

September 25, 2007
High Captive Rail Prices, Deteriorating Service Require Better STB Oversight, Public Power Executive Tells House Committee

September 25, 2007
Who’s Afraid of Competition?: Shippers call for much needed reform while
railroads lobby for federal protections

September 20, 2007
Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Bill Targeting Railroads Unfair Antitrust Exemptions

September 17, 2007
Report of Price Manipulation by Railroads Reason Enough for New Legislation

September 13, 2007
Consumers Railroaded Out of $6.4 Billion New Study Details Multi-billion Fuel Overcharges

August 28, 2007
GAO Report: Freight Rail Rates Spike in 2005 More Costs Shift to Customers

July 24, 2007
Railroads: Bringing Rural America to a Standstill

July 12, 2007
Energy Bill Will Boost Ethanol Congress Asks Railroads: Are you the weakest link?

March 15, 2007
Bipartisan Senate Legislation Introduced to Reform Nation's Rail System

March 6, 2007
Rail Customers Hail Congressional Action to Fix America's Broken Rail System

February 13, 2007
Freight Rail Customers Urge Administration and Congress to Address America's
Economic Security

January 31, 2007
Rail Customers Make Case Against Proposed New Rate Rules

January 26, 2007
Favorable STB Ruling on Rail Fuel Surcharges

January 23, 2007
CURE Elects Officers

October 9, 2006
Freight Rail Customers Complaints Verified by Government Accountability Office Report

August 24, 2006
Railroad Delivery Delays Force Power Companies to Import Coal

March 9, 2006
More Than 200 Rail Shippers on Capitol Hill Urge Reform Rail Monopoly Driving Consumer Costs Up

The Cost of Captivity, by Industry, reprinted with copyright permission from the Rail Price Advisor, First Quarter 2003, Volume 12, Number 1, published by Escalation Consultants, Inc.

News Articles

Railing Against Captive Shippers, Energy Biz Insider, May 23, 2008
Editorial: Competition on rails, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 22, 2008
Editorial: Bring end to railroad antitrust exemption, Sheboygan Press, May 11, 2008
A Switch on the Tracks, Washington Post, April 21, 2008
Changes are needed in railway rules, The Advertiser, April 15, 2008
Senator Kohl: Congress should move to repeal railroads’ antitrust exemptions,
The Hill, April 8, 2008
Glenn English: Captive shippers left out in the cold, The Journal of Commerce,
March 31, 2008
Commentary: LUS: Customers pay premium for rail deregulation, The Advertiser, March 30, 2008
Shippers in Minnesota want lawmakers to intervene to foster more competition among the railroads, Star Tribune, March 27, 2008
ADM sues railroads for price-fixing on fuel fees, The Star Tribune, March 27, 2008
La. Utility backs regulation, The Advocate, March 17, 2008
Staying on track: Wednesday was Rail Customer Day on Capitol Hill, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 16, 2008
North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation Joins Rail Customers on Capitol Hill to Promote Rail Reform Legislation, Sun Herald, March 11, 2008
Rail Antitrust Gains Force, Traffic World, March 3, 2008
Wisconsin's Baldwin Calls for Railroad Antitrust Revocation, Bloomberg,
February 25, 2008
Board ignores concerns of some rail customers, Argus Leader, February 9, 2008
In rebuttal: Regulatory trainwreck, Sun Journal, January 18, 2008
MN Attorney General: Time to put railroads under anti-trust, Bemidji Pioneer, January 25, 2008
Ethanol boon may be a bust, In Forum, January 22, 2008
On this monopoly board, railroads are winning, St. Paul Pioneer Press,
January 9, 2008
21 Attorneys General Endorse Bill That Would Remove Antitrust Exemptions for Railroads AP, November 29, 2007
CSX Seeking Public Aid Amid Its Growing Profit, Tampa Tribune, October 11, 2007
LTE: Fair and Accurate, Roll Call, October 4, 2007
Freight Rail Customers Complain About Prices, Service, USA TODAY,
September 27, 2007
The Railroading of America, Roll Call, September 26, 2007
LTE: Rail Competition, Washington Times, September 20, 2007
Report of Price Manipulation by Railroads Reason Enough for New Legislation,
American Corn Growers Association, September 17, 2007
Study: F Rail Cos. Overcharged by $6.5B, The Associated Press, September 13, 2007
Railroad Monopoly Costs North Dakota The Forum, September 2, 2007
Mark Glaess: Big Rail Hurts Rural Communities Mankato Free Press, August 3, 2007
Glenn English: Poor Oversight of Monopolies Costs Consumers The Kansas City Star, July 19, 2007
Utilities, Railroads at Odds: Delivery System Faulted Regulator hears venting on rail service The Kansas City Star, July 19, 2007
Baldwin Wins Duel with Railroads The Capital Times, July 13, 2007
Tester Demands Fix for Freight Rail System, Liberty County Times, March 21, 2007
Vitter Acts on Railroad Issue, The Baton Rouge Advocate, March 19, 2007
Federal Regulators Ban Excessive Fuel Surcharges by Railroads, The Associated Press, January 26, 2007
Rail Rates Rock State Companies, The Wisconsin State Journal, January 4, 2007
Railroads Struggle to Meet Coal Demand, CBS News by Associated Press, December 7, 2006
Derail the Monopoly; Railroads Need Competition, EnergyBiz Magazine by Bill Mohl, November/December 2006
Shippers say they're getting railroaded, Kansas City Star by Chicago Tribune, October 2, 2006
Serving Two (Station) Masters More Spending May Assuage Burlington Northern's Customers, But Not Wall Street, BusinessWeek, July 24, 2006
Enough Coal On Hand To Keep US Cool?, The Christian Science Monitor, May 25, 2006
Utilities Lead Charge Vs. Railroads State Groups Claim Monopolistic Costs, Capital Times, May 12, 2006
Electric Utilities Press For Action On Railroad Costs, The Hill, May 4, 2006
Railroads Struggle To Deliver Coal To Utilities, Pittsburgh Post Gazette (pick-up from Wall Street Journal article), March 15, 2006
Wisconsin Reps Attacking High Railroad Costs, Wisconsin State Journal, February 22, 2006
Senator Burns Op-Ed
DeLay doesn't want rail built, The Citizen, September 1, 2004
North Dakota, Minnesota and Montana Governors Support Rail Legislation, June 29, 2004

Rail Status Quo Unacceptable, an article published in the March 31, 2003 issue of Traffic World

If you have information that should be posted in our next newsletter, please contact Beckie Whitehead at (202) 298-1959.