Yep, that was a given! http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bu...managment-change-since-new-ceo-173778271.html E. Hunter Harrison has a reputation for being "mean", now he needs new blood to get things "lean". Which BTW reminds me, more than a year ago one of the engine crew mentioned that there were hundreds just about ready to retire. That will be an interesting scenario. hboy:
Well, hundreds ready to retire, insta-firings for delaying hot intermodals, and doubtlessly a culture of fear about to be instilled, one wonders how trains will move in the coming years...
Yep, that's what I wonder, too. You never know if you should laugh (real loud) or cry, but listening to the scanner or overhearing a conversation (just by chance ) it sounds like the Keystone Cops. The guys on the ground know what needs to be done and the donkeys two and more layers up don't know ....... (fill in your favourite expression). As I mentioned I'll be out on the Mountain and Laggan Subs this winter. Should the snow situation develop like last winter it will be chaos if the donkeys keep up their braying. "The Hunter" with his "scheduled" fixation will get a taste of what the CP is all about.
I've seen this scenario before. It succeeds in the very short term. The books will look very (artificially) good for a couple of years. (The graphic upward spike is usually one to three years.) Investors and the very top ranks will revel in glory and cash. Then things quickly start falling apart. It'll then be everybody's fault, except those who implemented the strategy. The idea rarely works, especially in transportation, but they keep trying it anyhow.
That's what both Ackman and Harrison are after, maximize shareholder value in the short term, then sell at what they know will be the peak because one can only juggle figures and results for a certain time. Ackman opined that under Harrison's leadership the operating ratio could fall to 65% within four years. Then Harrison mentioned around 65% within four years in one of the conference calls after the second quarter results were published. By the time that date rolls around Harrison will be 71 .... high time to retire ... again, with all kinds of extra goodies. But it remains to be seen if he ever gets what he was hoping for from CN. A lack of ethics will catch up with people of his ilk. Then "The Hunter" can go back to breeding horses.
I thought track work had been sliding in the past year of so. Wonder if that is in fact the case, and if this is related. NS moves a lot of traffic on the old D&H. I doubt they will be happy if service suffers.
