Why do they bother?

I believe the railroads take up the tracks because whether or not they run trains on the tracks they pay taxes for the tracks they have down.

The last number we had a couple of weeks ago was between $200-300/ton for scrap rail. That's high enough that it's pushing the cost of privately/community financed rehab projects and industrial development projects right down the toilet. A year go it was about $100/ton, which made relay far more affordable. As I mentioned a while back in another thread, the inability to get affordable second hand rail is starting to choke the rail-served industrial development projects we are working on. Of course people are ripping it up right now. I would too. But it's a seller's market, so the stuff that comes up is going straight to the furnace. Sadly, some of that is good, usable rail. But nobody in their right mind is going to buy high and sell low, so it doesn't pay right now to pull it up and stick it in inventory.[banghead]

Maybe one aspect of the Pennsy route is the 4th track that was pulled up was an inside track and perhaps the RoW will still be free and clear [for the most part], if the space is needed in the future to expand....In my opinion, adding another track back on that route won't be considered. With modern operations of rail activity and including signaling and commumication they can run as much on 3 as was run on 4 50 years ago.

When NYC's mainline got CTC, they were able to go from four tracks to two, and still increase capacity.
-Daniel