Posted on 03/05/2013 9:55:58 PM PST by Olog-hai
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that accused Union Pacific and BNSF Railways of price fixing.
Oxbow Carbon & Minerals LLC said in its lawsuit that the two biggest railroads in the western U.S. worked to avoid direct competition with each other to keep rates high, and that Union Pacific has refused to ship coal from its Oxbow’s Elk Creek Mine in western Colorado to avoid competing with BNSF.
The lawsuit brought by Oxbow and six of its companies also said the railroads’ fuel surcharges aren’t based on actual costs and simply raise shipping rates.
But U.S. District Court Judge Paul Friedman said in an opinion Tuesday that Oxbow failed to present adequate facts to back their allegations of price fixing. …
(Excerpt) Read more at bigstory.ap.org ...
bttt
Their strong Unions are in control of the facts.
Railroads are not the same as public highways, UP would have to lease track from BNSF if the customer doesn’t have track connecting to a UP owned track, that is, assuming that their business in territory only serviced by BNSF track. That would swamp any rate discount. I highly doubt UP would pass up the business if they thought it would be economically feasible for them and the customer.
Sounds like they are confusing The Octopus with The Oxbow Incident.
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