classicalman114 It's wore than I ever thought! I was looking at an interactive US rail map I purchased for $35.00 tonight, and I could not believe how many abandoned railroads (especially in the Northeast and Midwest) showed up. I never imagined there were so many! To me, it's saddening. What should be done to prevent railroads from abandoning lines?
It's wore than I ever thought! I was looking at an interactive US rail map I purchased for $35.00 tonight, and I could not believe how many abandoned railroads (especially in the Northeast and Midwest) showed up. I never imagined there were so many! To me, it's saddening. What should be done to prevent railroads from abandoning lines?
Why would you want to prevent railroads from abandoning lines?
Why is it "worse" than you ever thought? What lines are gone that should have been kept? Why should they have been kept?
I think the restructuring of the US rail network was done in a manner that produced an excellent result. We do have the safest, most efficient, most cost effective rail freight network in the world. Abandonment of no longer viable rail lines was part of the effort that produced that result.
I can think of one significant line removal that may have been a "mistake". That would be the old Rock Island route between Memphis and Amarillo, TX. Aside from that, I think they got it just about right. Perfection is never an option.
Things are going to keep changing. Rail capacity will need to be added in some places, and it will need to be removed in some places. Why would you want to "prevent" that?
Railway lines are abandoned because they cannot generate enough revenue to pay for their cost of operation and maintenance. No railway abandons any line on which it believes it can find a way to make money.
I assume you want the government to prevent railways from abandoning lines? That's fairly simple in accomplish and enabling law is already enacted.
Alternatively, law could be changed to force railways to continue to operate lines that have become uneconomic. This might require an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, however, as it would be in conflict with the 5th Amendment. Supposing that was done, however, it would eventually result in bankruptcy of the railroad companies. If that happened, it is unlikely any private individual would choose to throw good money after bad, so if the nation wanted railways to continue to operate, it would have to finance it out of the state or federal treasuries.
RWM
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