CSX vs NS

samfp1943 · October 18, 2011, 4:59pm

CSX vs. NS:

From TRAINSNewswire of this date:

"CSX wrests Maersk intermodal contract from Norfolk Southern"Published: October 18, 2011

FTA:“…JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX has signed a contract with Maersk Line that will see most of the company’s East Coast ports business shift from Norfolk Southern, the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot has reported. The contract will shift from NS to CSX on Jan. 1…”

FTA:'…“The premise is more competition at the port and a growing pie,” said Ryan Houfek, CSX’s assistant vice president of sales. “It really kind of gets us out of the gate here and makes CSX a real force in the Port of Virginia.”…"

I guess this would tend to settle the little kerfuffle about negotiations and who’s

the better negotiator. Looks like CSX has put a finger in NS’s eye. The Port of Norfolk was the cherry on top of the Heartland Corridor project. But ultimately looks like the shipper have scored on this one(?)

.

greyhounds · October 18, 2011, 6:42pm

greyhounds:
While free markets may be far from perfect, they eventually correct toward the proper solution. Bad regulation tends to just linger.

I am unaware of any country in history that has had a true free market to test this theory. Certainly the US never has. I’m not trying to make a political argument here nor make the case that government regulation is somehow better or always best, What I do know is that in the history of the US, there are few if any examples of the market “correcting toward the proper solution” without government involvement. Going all the way back to the founding of the country. The level of involvement has changed just as the markets themselves have. Even Adam Smith supported a level of government regulation.

Again, don’t want to go down a political rat hole which happens all too often on this board, but there’s never been a market free of all regulation and so we can’t know how such a market would react.

Never?

Ever?

Nowhere?

Ever?

Never ever nowhere never?

Amazing.

YoHo1975 · October 18, 2011, 8:30pm

Well, it’s true Somalia is a literal free market with no government intervention or regulation, so I shouldn’t have said never. I did try to avoid calling attention to them though, because it’s such a political comment. Perhaps they should move the plastics plant there.