Multiple efforts to remake the transportation sector and turn private freight railroads into a public utility via regulation will likely lead to higher consumer prices for goods shipped, encourage bad faith lobbing by powerful shippers, and reinstate onerous rules that were removed some forty years ago.
With the growth of competition in the freight shipping industry, the justification for public utility-style regulations on rail shipping have long disappeared. Instead of treating modern freight rail as a monopoly, the STB and Congress should look for ways to streamline regulations, encourage investments and improve safety. This would ensure that rail freight options are competitively priced.
You can read the entire article at Real Clear Markets.