>>1049744JR freight has to pay to use the tracks and I wouldn't be too surprised if some runs have the freight costs more to run than what they get paid
And while Hokkaido ironically seems to have a decent proportion of freight to passenger due to the lack of demand for which JR Hokkaido is probably grateful they can scoop some sweet 円, JR Freight's insurance costs are probably through the roof due to the shit track and derailments lol
Unfortunately, because they're a private company, they're allowed to be relatively opaque about their books
As for the JR matter, ask Nakasone about it lol. They're also beholden to shareholders as a public company and profits do have to come first. But who knows, maybe JR East may find it in their hearts to pay for at least some of JR Hokkaido's life support because it's so horrifying to look at
