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[quote user="TomDiehl"][quote user="futuremodal"][quote user="VPayne"] Regarding other modes, specifically barge traffic, while there are prior claims to the use of the river systems, where they existed, the expenses for inland waterway improvements are still not meet by user fees. Since some of the conversation has turned to the 80's take a look at part 4 of the linked CBO report from the 80's. <A href="http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdoc.cfm?index=5321&type=1">http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdoc.cfm?index=5321&type=1</A> Per page 34 only 10% of the costs were/projected to be recovered through users fees for operations of which "maintenance dredging and operation of navigation aids" amounted to 3/5ths of the expenditure. Why do certain members of the public act as though the railroads are treating them unfairly when the government is giving away the right of ways to barge operators? Railroads where released from the majority of their common carrier obligations due to the skewing of the transportation marketplace by such practices as those above. [/quote] A little bit off topic, and the whole "give away" thing is more than quite a bit askew.  It is humorous to hear railroads and their fans complain about "subsidized" waterways, while apparently forgetting those land grants without which most Western railroads wouldn't even exist.  Even giving credence to the argument that waterway user's fees only amount to a small percentage of the total cost of maintaining those waterways, the amount of *subsidy* given to waterways is still just a fraction of the subsidy given to the original land grant railroads. [/quote] Talk about living in the past. Those land grants to the western railroads you keep refering to were about a century ago. Add to that, if the railroads hadn't built a transportation system into this area, the land would have been nearly worthless until the government could build highways into the area. And that would have had to wait until the automobile and motor truck was invented and perfected enough to be able to run long distances. The railroads own the land the track is on, pay taxes on it, and maintain those tracks and property. QUITE a bit different than using a government maintained waterway that isn't paying taxes and only charges a fraction of what the maintenance costs as a user fee. [/quote] Tom, you really should apply for a job with the AAR.  You really seem to have no independent thought abilities other than to repeat the same worn out mantra's while at the same time ignoring the massive amounts of aid that the railroads have received and continue to receive, both financial and legal. Or as they say, weak minds think alike.
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