I think I speak with some authority having just spent 35 years in the industry, starting out with the WP, UP, SP and back to UP. I was a train dispatcher in Sacramento, Roseville, Denver and Omaha. For the most part, and this is the worst part, the Corridor Managers have little or not acutal railroad experience. Period. I retired to get away from those idiots. Can you imange my fustration with having a CM telling me how to run my RR, how to dispatch my trains and evaluate me on my performance. Gee Whiz. Like I stated, most CM, who oversee the TD's, never walked a yard, worked in a yard office, rode a train, weighted a car, etc. So, the question about priorities of trains vs. passengers trains is just that, a question they would rather not face. The advent of the "Z" trains and "Q" trains flew in the face of Amtrak. And guess who wins out. Right the freights. I was told by the Amtrak folks, while I worked the Sunset Route, that to willfully delay Amtrak if a federal violation of the law, that I could be personnaly fined. The only direction we get/got was to "bury" Amtrak/Caltrans trains. I came up throught the ranks, like I said, with the Western Pacific and Southern Pacific where runs trains was paramount consistant with safety, but passenger trains were number ONE. I retired in 2004 and love the railroad(s) but not train dispatching. Way to stressfull......