Trackage rights gets interestingly close to bottleneck, does it not?

We have one industry which has exemption under antitrust. You do not.

This Subcommittee is going to be aggressive in making sure that we try and create circumstances that lead to more competition, not less.

In the context of the merger, yes. I would not be wrong, right, in saying that?

Again, if I am taking a flight to Fargo, which I have done--I have not been invited back, but I did it once--and let us say I have to make a switch.

Does that not fit under the definition of enhanced competition?

I think it is terribly, terribly important that we do not have railroad companies going to Subcommittee Members telling them what letters they ought to write.

The FAA would step in. The President would declare a state of--it would be totally untenable.

Let me put it negatively. If in the questioning that you did in a proposed, hypothetical future merger...

I think that becomes very important because enhanced competition is not only a function of price, but it is a function of service.

If they do not?

I urge this Committee to use caution before considering calls by some to legislate additional requirements.

Senator Kerry and I introduced S. 948, the Community Rail Line Relocation Assistance Act of 2001.

Several Senators, including me, cosponsored S. 250, the High-Speed Rail Investment Act of 2001.

I want to commend my good friend John Breaux for holding this hearing today in his new capacity as Chairman of this Subcommittee.

We have introduced now for the third time... The 35th time... The Rail Shipper Protection Act.

I want to say first that I appreciate the courage it took for the Board to do what it did in creating the position you did.

I certainly think it is a step in the right direction.