John Snow Quarter Quotations

I think it's probably on the high side. I've seen other estimates more in line with a half-percent hurt to GDP growth in the third quarter and fourth quarter -- but with a pick-up of roughly that order for '06,

Rebuilding efforts will give GDP (gross domestic product), jobs and our overall economy a lift by the first quarter of next year,

Earnings have suffered this quarter and throughout the year as we have changed the composition of our company and implemented the most complex rail merger in history, ... We had difficulty handling strong fourth-quarter demand and changing traffic flows, particularly in the northwestern sector of our new, combined rail network. As a result of this congestion, locomotive, equipment and crew costs were much higher than we expected.

The consequences of this disaster for the national economy will be seen, I think, primarily in the third quarter and the fourth quarter and I think they'll be temporary,

But I am optimistic that rebuilding efforts will restore lost GDP by the first quarter of next year,