Rail inefficiency causes 62pc of Canadian shippers big losses: study

CUSTOMERS of Canada`s big railways Canadian National and Canadian Pacific, blasted service quality, with 62 per cent claiming to have suffered "significant financial loss" because of poor rail service.
The federal Rail Freight Service Review, which may lead to regulatory changes, is to be presented to Parliament in the autumn, reported Toronto`s Financial Post. Findings not only criticised CN and CP, but also blasted the regulatory system itself for being "cumbersome and expensive".
Only 17 per cent of those surveyed said they have a high level of satisfaction in the service they have received from CN or CP. Mostly, customer satisfaction surveys elicit a response in the 50-70 per cent range, said Andrew Ennis, who conducted the survey by NRG Research Group.
Terminal operators, port authorities and shipping lines have also reported concerns about the level of service they have received from the rails.
"Most businesses, if you don`t have satisfied customers, you go out of business," Mr Ennis said. "I think, quite frankly, there`s not many options."