Would a NEW coast-to-coast railroad bring prosperi

[croteaudd]

Would a brand-new, high-profit, coast-to-coast transcontinental railroad bring prosperity to America? Ponder the following concepts: (1) Speedy, 100-hours or less coast-to-coast transit times, including all switching; (2) problem-free unionized labor relations; and (3) whopping 60% to 50% operating ratio. Though provoking, isn’t it?

[Anonymous]

If all that were to happen, then perhaps a separate railroad would have to be constructed, or the proposed-passenger rail service provider you mentioned would have to buy portions of railroads from freight companies to make it work. There can be no waiting on sidings for freight trains to pass, only the same passenger train going the opposite direction. In that case scenario, maybe two railroads would have to be constructed.

I would love to see something like that happen. One can watch things go by outside of the window, when a flying airline passenger can only look down about seven miles below.

Super train, I love it.

[Anonymous]

One does not need to "bring prosperity to America" as America allready has it. Even in this "bad" economy we are still #1, and will likely remain so for some time to come.

Would a coast to coast route be good for shippers, and thus the economy, and all of us? You bet, in the same way that FedEx and UPS operating coast to coast is better.

But a national RR with the best routes? Well, we don't need to build a new one for that, we allready will get it, just as soon as one of our eastern road gets taken over- by BNSF.

[Anonymous]

Alexander is correct. All modes of transportation provide coast to coast service without interchange to another carrier except railroads. All truck, both LTL and truckload, air freight, airlines, UPS, Fedex are all coast to coast with a very very small per cent of LTL truck freight interchanged to serve very small rural areas in the west US. The shippers are dealing with only one carrier for all their shipments and they prefer that one carrier concept and not interchange between carriers.
We have 4 large railroads which would merge into 2 transcon rail carriers. I wish we still had Conrail and SP , so then there would be 3 transcons instead of just 2.

[Anonymous]

We don't need a new railway for any of those reasons, just change or adapt the ones we have. Anyways I like what we have now (as a railfan) .

[Anonymous]

One great side effect of "the Big One" (or should that be, "the Big Two"?) is the resultant spinoffs such mergers would bring.

I predict that we will see a much larger pool of regionals once we have two national systems, as, ala BNSF's latest strategy, they will concentrate on specific city pairs that are profitable- conentrate on mostly transcon corridors. So we could actually see a return of the "old class one" era, rebranded as regionals. No, never as many as say 1950, but certainly there could be one or two dozen new regionals when the dust clears.

And wouldn't that be fun to railfan?

[Anonymous]

You are exactly correct, Alexander

[Anonymous]

Well, Alexander, you know what BNSF stands for don't you...Buy Norfolk Southern First. Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk. Don Corbin

[Anonymous]

I almost can't wait, as a result, but I also know it might be better if we had more time before it happens, so some things can settle down from the last round.

I'll bet when it happens, it'll be accompanied by a massive IPO for the new company. So a lot of this will wait on when it will be advantageous to their stock prices. I'll bet, not until BNSF dumps another 2000 miles of track.

[Anonymous]

They ought to too! CSX does fit nicely for the Water Level Route, but then, considering NS's success with those UPS test trains, and NS' operational mindset, (and the fact I love the N&W!) I think NS is the choice.

But hey, I ain't Matt Rose's gardener.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone one an asset register for the country?
How many disused routes are there? Could any of these be upgraded for high-speed passenger (and non-stop freight)?

Here in the Uk, a criticism of Railtrack was that it did not know what assets it had on the network. That is now being rectified.

Jason.

[Anonymous]

Asset register? No I doubt it.

Realize that the US has probably over a million miles of abandoned routes from it's almost 200 years of railroading. (B&O 1830s- so we're pushing 200 fast. Amazing!)

Anyway, any routes abandoned over the last 100 years would be on record with the old ICC files, not with STB ("Surf Board"). So somewhere in the National Archives (NARA) there's record. That, plus in county coutrhouses on tax maps, etc... etc... However there is no "one source" for this info.

Many routes abandoned withing the last 20 years have been "rail banked"- turned over to states or other gov. agencies with a codical that allows the RRs to reclaim the r-o-w if necessary. We have a number of routes in the PNW like this, including the entire Milwaukee Road Pacific Extension from about Butte, MT through to the Pacific, which is currently a trail for horses.

I am sure that the RRs who "donated" these lines have a good tab on where they are and what physical conditions they are in, somewhere deep inside their HQ. In the case of the Milwaukee route, I am unsure, since they've been gone many many moons. But perhaps CP has the files, as I assume they hold the rights to the line.

However, these routes are not necessarily practical for HSR- curviture, gradient, etc.... not to mention man made obsticles. And unfortunatley most urban corridors of this like were parcelled out and built over with industry or houses.

In one example of this particular stupidity, the city of Portland allowed the Portland Traction line to Gresham be abandoned, and converted to a trail, and then ten years later built their own LRT line, buying property from individual owners at great expense. Why didn't they just use the PTC route, which for 60 years was a very popular interurban, one of the last in the US to operate, and even, gasp, profitable? Who knows....

There are abandoned routes, but it might actually be better to find the least used routes which are still active, and acquire them, and then combine the traffic off the displaced route with one of the other conventional routes into the city center with increased capacity mitigation projects.

Best, Alexander

[Anonymous]

"Buy Norfolk Southern First" was coined by Rob Krebs at the intermodal exposition.

[Anonymous]

Insightful. Wonder if Matt agrees....

[croteaudd]

The subject issue is whether or not new thinking and approaches could dramatically enhance the American economy (and the world’s). Present railroads are too set in their archaic ways to effect any dramatic and revolutionary improvements leading to “super” prosperity.

[Anonymous]

Shades of John Kneiling and his Integral train concepts. It would not be possible to build a brand new coast to coast railroad due to all the NIMBY,real estate, and enviromental concerns,not to mention the cost. I do think the two system mega merger is probably inevitable.
If only the Milwaukee Road and Erie Lackawanna had merged in the seventies............

[Anonymous]

If you think present RR's are to set in their old fashion ways of operating and thinking, why not tell us what you think needs to be done.Lets hear some of your new ideas.
Keith

[Anonymous]

It is hard to imagine anyone taking on the horrendous debt that either NS or CSXT now has. I wonder if David Lavine is enjoying his fire station?

[Anonymous]

And BNSF has it's own problems at present. It's going to take a big up-cycle in the economy before that changes, but don't be surprised if it does start within the next year. And in the meanwhile, all these "Alliances" and joint trains -- they're just the courting before the marriage.

And of course UP will try and do everything they can to keep the eastern roads weak and unattractive to it's rival, while gobbling up as much traffic as it can get. In the end, UP will end up the weaker partner in the deal. Thus their obsession with rebuilding the Golden State and T&P.

[Anonymous]

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME. HA HA

[Anonymous]

What ever you say Charlie.

[Anonymous]

In the 80's just after N&W/Sou we, at N&W, would speculate on west coast merger propects. In the east, there was NS, CSX and Conrail. In the west, there was ATSF, BN, UP and SP. We always thought that if an NS/UP consolidation occurred, UP would be the dominant partner. If it were NS/ATSF, NS would be the survivor. If it were NS/BN, it would be a toss-up, probably closer to a zebra. SP was a wild card that someone would gobble up to get rid of it and to access the chemical belt. My, my, how things change! Glad I'm retired and gone while health is still good. All those egos need to be quaranteened for the sake of everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Well, I dunno about a quarantine....

However, there is no doubt that within the next four to seven years, we'll se a BNSF+Someone merger, and then the chain reaction will begin, until there are two big continental roads in North America. Which won't be all bad, but will be tough to live through, if you ship by rail.

[Anonymous]

And also tough to work for them.Don't forget about the Canadian players in this new age Robber Baron game.

[Anonymous]

Ooh, that could spoil the whol applecart, couldn't it? CN+NS, or something, hee hee.... Take that, you Americans!