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Railroads Struggle to Deliver Coal to Utilities

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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie Well, I am back and really struggling trying to follow this. Maybe Dave will welcome me with open arms because I ask such simple questions. I know he is miffed because the railroads didn't keep all that line they abandoned, but I still can't put my ends together with a regularly run coal/freight line through Nebraska and all that abandon line that was/is still in the middle of nowhere. What would they do with it now or even in the future? And did we really need to keep all lines right through the heart of Lincoln when those lines closed? (I can count 4 for sure) I am sure there is an explanation for all this simple thinking. Mookie [/quote] I think you're confusing "simple" with "vague". Are you specifically asking about Nebraska's rail situation? All I know about Nebraska is that folks who used to live in Nebraska thank their lucky stars they got out![;)] As for the 4 lines through Lincoln, what is it now? Doesn't UP have a triple track line through Lincoln and BNSF a double track? If so, ask yourself this: Comparing 4 separate lines to one or two consolidated lines, which setup would assure a better continuity of rail traffic flow in case of a derailment? Consolidating lines into a single rail corridor, while less costly in many respects to operate, also makes those lines vunerable to shutdown of all three lines in case of derailment and such, while a more dispersed set up would allow rail traffic to continue while the one line is cleaned up. Remember the PRB problems? One derailment took out both tracks out of the basin, which is why coal deliveries suffered. If the lines were farther apart, such an accident would still have allowed the coal to flow, and maybe there'd be less complainin' from the utilities (and less chance of reregulation!)
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