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This conversation rounds out a trio of interviews that explore the 46-year aftermath of the deregulatory Staggers Act. Our guest is Arnav Rao, who serves as a transportation policy analyst at the Open Markets Institute, where he works with previous Reconnect America guest Phil Longman.

An astute student of the history of the U.S. railroad industry and a keen observer of the present moment, Arnav does an excellent job of weaving together the many threads we have been tracing in recent months.

Beginning with the Staggers Act of 1980, Arnav reveals how an ideological program pushed regulators far beyond what Congress had originally intended. Not only were critical protections for shippers, workers, and the public were cast aside, but unchecked consolidation also left the U.S. with a largely monopolized and unaccountable railroad industry.

As the conversation turns to the arrival of aggressive so-called “activist” investors from Wall Street and their imposition of the extractive business model known as precision scheduled railroading, Arnav helps tease apart the similarities and differences between this phenomenon and earlier forms of cost-cutting that followed the Staggers Act.

Finally, we discuss the current state of the industry—the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, the captivity of railroad management to Wall Street demands, and the illegal firing of Surface Transportation Board member Robert Primus. We wrap up by envisioning a path toward the restoration of public purpose for this critical national infrastructure.

With Gratitude & Solidarity,

Bill Moyer

Reconnect America is hosted by Bill Moyer, co-author of the book Solutionary Rail: A People-powered Campaign to Electrify America’s Railroads and Open Corridors to a Clean Energy Future. Check out the essays and supplemental posts that complement this podcast HERE.

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