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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe (4) One of the major thesis of Mark's presentation was that we (railroaders and the nation) are sitting on a legacy--if no railroads existed today, we could not afford to just build them. As this legacy ages and eventually has to be replaced there are going to be some major problems. (5) The other half of Mark's major thesis is that we have to determine what we want our rail system to be: a utility or a profit-making venture. As the rail legacy ages and is in need of replacement, this question will become more important, because we can't have both. [/quote] On point #4 - Did he make any comparisons and contrasts between constructing highways and railroads today? The "legacy" as is stated was constructed at a time when no other viable alternatives existed, and any region that wanted economic growth just had to have a railroad or go belly up. Today, most economic desires related to transportation revolve around the need to be located near an interstate. Yet, with the growth in world trade the need for transporation of bulk commodities (or commodities in bulk) is the perfect storm for a revival of rail infrastructure additions. The real question is if the old model of the sole proprietary franchise is obsolete for the needs of the future. On point #5 - Why do we have to have one or the other when we can have both? Rail infrastructure - utilities Train operations - profit making ventures
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