The Railroad Revitalization & Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 & the Staggers Rail Act of 1980 gave freight RR increased freedom to price their services according to market conditions. This report discusses how rates & service quality for freight rail transportation have changed since 1990 & actions being taken by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) & others to address service quality issues. It provides info. on (1) the environment within which RR rates have been set since 1990, (2) how RR rates have changed since 1990, (3) how RR service quality has changed since 1990, & (4) actions taken by the STB to address RR service problems.