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Fast Track To Public Rail Electrification

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[quote user="Paul_D_North_Jr"]Now, however, it appears from the commentary above by Bucyrus that extensive government funding is contemplated and even necessary; and that the government may want to have a say in where that power comes from, and how.  Those appear to be the chief differences from past electrification proposals.  [/quote]   Paul, Yes, the chief difference is the new purpose.  That is why I underscore new purpose in my first post.  The new purpose is the overarching remedy to the two-prong crisis of oil supply and carbon footprint.  All of the traditional reasons for electrification still apply as a component of the new purpose, but the two-prong crisis is completely unprecedented.  It has never been a part of previous analyses of rail electrification.  Also unprecedented is the method of bringing about the new purpose of near-universal rail electrification through public funding.  I see it as being more a national public agenda than it is a railroad agenda.    <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> If this were just the radical fringe pushing this agenda, it might be dismissed as being all talk and radical wishful thinking.  However, all four major railroads are discussing it.  BNSF in particular, seems quite serious about pursuing it.  Only UP seems wary of it.  I think one of the most significant aspects of this is the implication for the railroads becoming intertwined with a nationalized plant improvement that may be larger and more valuable than the railroads themselves.   <o:p></o:p> As you have mentioned, this rail electrification proposal is only one component of a national transportation system that will involve trains, trucks, cars, and airplanes.  But even beyond that, there is a fast track agenda to convert the country to renewable energy, and that requires another major component in the form of a new energy grid.  Renewable energy in the form or wind and solar installations must be placed in ideal locations for wind and sun, and the current grid does not go to those places.    With the need for a new grid for new routing, comes the opportunity of making it a smart grid.  The smart grid not only delivers electricity to users, it knows how they use it, and it manages the use by pricing accordingly.  A big part of the renewable energy movement is to conserve, and the smart grid will force conservation of power by micro-managing its use.  So, the conversion to renewable energy and the new grid are huge undertakings on their own.  Rail electrification is just one more piece of low-hanging fruit in this vision.   In fact, one might wonder whether the renewable energy agenda is larger than the rail electrification agenda, and is merely using rail electrification as a carrot to entice railroad companies into allowing the use of their rights of way for the new power lines needed for the new grid.  One of the biggest impediments to the renewable energy agenda is the right of way acquisition for the necessary new power lines.  Running the new lines on ready-made rights of way belonging to the railroads may be the biggest plum of all in this game.  Maybe that is why UP is wary.
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