By Desiree J. Hanford

Rail executives are always minding their respective roads' bottom lines, but the current state of the economy makes doing so all the more imperative. Through Sept. 12, carload traffic was down 18.4 percent and intermodal traffic fell 16.9 percent compared with the year-ago period.

"I think the simple reality of life right now is with this massive downshift in the economy, it's really having an effect on the industry," says Marshall Beck, senior vice president of marketing and sales for New York Air Brake Corp.

In short: Railroad officials have kicked the efficiency drive up a notch, whether they're searching for ways to streamline when reviewing their operational processes or their balance sheets.

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