I know that many people at UP (especially Agreement) think of themselves as being indispensable to the national economy, but the fact of the matter is that nobody thinks about UP or any other railroad except for when they have to stop and wait for a train to pass by.
In the near future , small quantities of goods will be packed and shipped to order by drones and self-driving vehicles. The railroad will also become automated, and will make only a few large shipments to local distribution centers.
Even without PSR, the current business model for the railroads is totally obsolete, because it's still based in the 19th Century. The executives and shareholders seem to know this, which helps to explain a lot about recent operational changes.