> The American work culture will never allow on time performance. The Work cultures of
> Switzerland and Japan demand excellence in all they do

If you look close enough, you'll notice that excellence IS demanded here in America too:

Hence the myriads of ex-Amtrak passenger who say they will never ride again after their first trip, which invariably was a grand maul CF;

Hence congested airports at one end of the travel market continuum, to congested highways at the other end, all while the old depot sits mostly empty;

Hence the political will to spend billions on airports and highways; but very little funding of Amtrak;

Hence the trucking industry taking a 90% market share in ton miles of freight transportation produced;

Hence thousands of empty decrepit industry spurs;

Hence. . . . . Hence . . . . . . . .



> Switzerland and Japan would never tolerate the unionized mentality of the
> American Railroad industry.

It ain't the unions per se, or the workers. That "mentality" you complain about was born in a deep seated aura of chronic mistrust, that has existed in the rail industry for decades and decades. This is what caused the severe rigidity of railroad unions that we still see - even while on their own death beds.

That mistrust was in turn born of literally a century of treatment of workers, and their labor as mere chattel, as a mere commodity; rather than as a critical stake holder in the outcome of the enterprise. How could that create anything other than mistrust, animosity and rigidity in the first place.

If you look closely, you will note that where employees are treated with respect, unionism never gains much of a foothold. And even where such respectful companies are unionized, there does not appear to be anywhere near the friction that there is in the railroad industry. But there is still more. The way most of the rail industry treats its customers is just as bad. Sadly these realities have totally negated the natural economic advantages of steel wheel on steel rail - almost entirely.

So yes, it is mostly the responsibility of lame-brained unimaginative and often greedy managements that the rail industry has failed to achieve any degree of excellence, ever since the Staggers Act;

Hence the total rejection of their NON-EXELLENCE by much of America. Sadly, most of America considers them to be irrelevant now.