I guess there are two ways of answering the question about why they as a monopoly can just keep increasing the rates even if they increase the supply. Everyone is aware that all the rail lines are printing record profits today. In a monopoly system, I guess you have one of two ways to get those record profits. The first way would be leaving the rate the same, or lowering it, and doing significantly increased volumes. The second way would be to increase the rates and lower the supply, running to the same profit dollar.
We've had direct meetings with these account reps from the rail lines, and behind closed doors they'll tell you that they're running to a profit number, period. If they see reduced demand coming from a lumber mill, it means those rates will have to go up to get the same profit dollar and the same line profit they're used to getting, period.
In light of curtailments, they take the option of announcing 7% rate increases, which only makes you have to curtail even more, making you less competitive. Inevitably, what you're doing is that you're facing a shutdown at all your operations.