Re: Update on the Loop

Man, I really hate to perpetuate this discussion, but...

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However, the real question here should have nothing to do with the worker bees who keep the railroads going ... comments should focus on the owners and managers.

Yep, put that in bold letters and add exclamation marks - that's the key point.

But even trying to compare management decisions is fraught with peril. Both RR's were facing disastrous situations, but in so many ways, these are two very different RR's, and management in each case had decisions to make based on some very different criteria. The C&TS knows that a large percentage of their customers are making planned trips and making reservations. That makes it far easier to commit to a limited schedule. The Loop depends far more heavily on spontaneous drop-in business. "Everybody knows" that the Loop runs every day, and shutting down for a day or multiple days is a more difficult proposition.

I'm not trying to be an apologist for the Loop. If I ruled the world (here from the cushy comfort & safety of my computer chair), I would've liked to have seen them commit to something like a 5 day schedule - but let's be fair here. Folks would've finger-pointed and Monday morning quarterbacked that decision too. It was a lose, lose proposition, and even under a more limited schedule, they still may have faced unexpected shutdowns.

The bottom line is still that it's a dicey comparison no matter how you slice it. The real management lesson for both RR's is - Do everything you can to keep from getting into this position in the first place.

Scott



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/2007 10:45AM by Scott Turner.