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Energy, Powder River Basin, and the DM&E

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[quote user="jeaton"] Futuremodal keeps perpetuating the notion that lack of proper maintenance was the exact cause the failure of the BNSF and UP to meet their contract obligations for hauling coal out of the PRB.  He conveniently ignores the fact that the problems were triggered by the unprecidented rainfall in the basin area.  [/quote]But of course you then exonerate what I said.....[quote] Of course they BNSF could have done more to clean the ballast and mitigate the effct of the rains, [/quote]Which of course is exactly what I surmised in stating that maintenance was lacking...[quote] but in many respects that would have been something akin to someone living in Florida owning a snowblower so as not to be late to work after a three foot snow storm.[/quote]You need to work on your analogies.  It never snows three feet in Florida.  But coal dust is always a problem on PRB trains.  [quote]By the way, the same rains will also fall on the DME.[/quote]Perhaps DM&E would do a better job of track maintenance, seeing as how they'd probably be under the microscope for quite some time if and when they did get into the PRB.[quote]So $200 million buys the UP/BNSF another 75 million tons capacity, whereas to get just another 100 million tons capacity, the DME has to spend $6 billion.  Hmmmm. [/quote]A bit of a misrepresentation.  The $6 billion was for the entire DM&E line from PRB to Winona, which of course would haul more than just PRB coal.   <a href="http://www.dmerail.com/PRB%20Project.html">http://www.dmerail.com/PRB%20Project.html</a>And of course, you ignore the consolidation issue of simlply adding additional tracks to existing corridors and the spector of having all four tracks taken out with one single incident.Finally, it is estimated that those missed shipments by UP and BNSF cost consumers $2.6 billion per year!  Put that into your capacity calculation![:-,][quote]Nice thing about coming up with grandios plans when you are sitting on the sidlines is that you don't have to put your money where your mouth is.  Interesting that futuremodal seems to ideologically opposed to feeding on the government trough, except when in his mind it is a "good cause".  Of course, competition is the sacred cow of good causes.[/quote]Another misrepresentation.  I am absolutely opposed to allowing only a select few get to feed at that trough while others do not get that right.  BNSF and UP have received the equilvalent of over $1.5 bilion in federal aid for their PRB lines.  What's good for the goose is good for the gander.  Either allow DM&E (and any other potential PRB railroad enterprises who have put their money where their mouths are) an equal amount of federal support, or force UP and BNSF to tear out all that publicly-funded trackage and make them rebuild those lines with their own money.And we haven't even covered having UP and BNSF give back all those land grants![:-,][quote]I would like to see an expansion of the regional or corridor rail passenger services perhaps with some high speed service, [quote user="greyhounds"] So, put up your money, get in the game, and build "more lines".[/quote][/quote][:D]
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