I think you're assigning the "reciprocal" word to the wrong part
of the story. The fees aren't reciprocal, the switching privilege is.
And if you think the shipper couldn�t find a tariffed route via major
railroads, I've got a bridge you might like to own.
Tony Thompson

Tony, as usual you're confusing your sarcasm with insight.
My point was that shippers cannot invent routes -- they can
only choose routes available on the tariff. If you dispute
that, then I've got a bridge or two for you.

How is railroad A's access to railroad B customers reciprocal?
I'm not at all confused about the meaning of the word. If there
is a reciprocal part to this story, no one has presented it yet.

Tim O'Connor