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The Switch — Move By Rail's newsletter

The Switch

Field Intelligence for People Who Actually Move Freight by Rail

The Switch delivers practical rail operating intelligence for industrial shippers, receivers, developers, and rail-served facilities. Join the list to receive new articles on service reliability, demurrage, car flow, railroad accountability, facility operations, and rail strategy.

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Latest Article

Rail Operations July 2026Move By Rail

When Everyone Touches Rail but Nobody Owns It

How industrial shippers lose control of the rail cycle—and what it takes to regain it.

Many industrial rail problems do not result from one dramatic failure. They develop in the gaps between car ordering, railroad service, placement, unloading, releases, charge review, and escalation. This article explains how those disconnected responsibilities create cost and what it takes to restore control.

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Upcoming Editorial Topics

The Operating Issues We Will Cover in The Switch

The previews below show the editorial direction of upcoming issues. Each topic is being developed into a practical article for people responsible for industrial rail service, cost, facility operations, and railroad communication.

Rail Risk Watch Sample Issue 04 4 min previewEditorial Preview

When Rail Disruptions Begin Long Before You Notice

Rail disruptions rarely begin with one major failure. More often, they start with missed switches, delayed placements, crews running behind, and cars missing local windows. At first, the impact is manageable — then inventory tightens, production adjusts, and operations start reacting instead of planning. Many facilities don't realize these patterns often begin days before the real disruption becomes visible.

Upcoming Article
Demurrage Files Sample Issue 03 5 min previewEditorial Preview

The Hidden Math Behind Your Demurrage Invoice

Demurrage rarely looks like a billing problem until it's already a cash-flow problem. The clock is structural — placement times, free time windows, weekend rules, constructive placement — and most facilities are paying for things they could have avoided with a simple operating change.

Upcoming Article
PSR Impacts Sample Issue 02 6 min previewEditorial Preview

What Precision Scheduled Railroading Did to Your Service Window

PSR didn't just change how the railroads run. It changed what your facility is allowed to expect. Local service is leaner, swap windows are tighter, and the tolerance for missed cars has collapsed. Here's how to plan around the new normal instead of fighting it.

Upcoming Article
Transload Strategy Sample Issue 01 5 min previewEditorial Preview

When Transload Beats Trying to Build Track

Not every shipper needs rail at their door. For the right commodity mix and the right lane, transload captures most of the rail economics without the capital, the permitting, or the maintenance burden. Here's the decision framework we use with clients.

Upcoming Article

Built Around the Problems Rail Shippers Actually Manage

Service Reliability
Warning signs that local or terminal service is beginning to deteriorate.
Demurrage and Cost Exposure
How operating decisions, carrier practices, and documentation affect the final charge.
Car Flow and Ordering
How ordering, placements, unloading capacity, releases, and inventory interact.
Internal Rail Process
What happens when operations, shipping, logistics, and accounting work from different information.
Railroad Communication and Escalation
How to move from repeated emails to documented accountability.
Measurement
The operating measures leadership should review consistently.
Rail Performance Recovery
What a structured 30-, 60-, and 90-day improvement effort should accomplish.
When Several Problems Are Happening at Once

The 90-Day Rail Performance Recovery Program

The Switch helps readers recognize the operating patterns. The 90-Day Program is the structured engagement for companies ready to establish a baseline, implement corrective controls, and create clearer rail accountability.

Explore the 90-Day Program Take the Rail Service Scorecard