Railroad corporations' starting stations

My draft board has 5 corporations starting on the northwest, northern, northeast, east, and southeast borders of Iowa. There is a single off-board (red) location in the southwest corner. I'd post a picture, but I'm still adjusting colors and so on.

Until I get in a true playtest, I won't know for sure how their interactions will really go. Of course, which corporations float in the opening stock round, and what their order will be, is of utmost interest. I have tried to design it so that players that crave cutthroat tile-laying can float the eastern companies, and the less-interactive players can float the northwest company and hope for the best.

In my experiments, the company that makes it into Des Moines has a decided earning advantage, but this is offset by 1. the private companies' powers, 2. the bidding necessary to be in the position to take advantage of a Des Moines route, and 3. the double-station space existing on the map at the start of the game. As more track complexity becomes available, there are more options, and ultimately, there are 3 spots for station markers in Des Moines.

I am also considering an optional fast-start rule where corporations can lay a second yellow track as close as possible to their starting station marker for $30-50. This would result in more balanced development, rather than a single-minded push to Des Moines.