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Proposed high speed freight service in France
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[quote]QUOTE: <i>Originally posted by dehusman</i> <br /><br />Futuremodal asked: <br />"Here's a quiz for you: What other industries besides railroads have been given land grants in the history of the U.S.?" <br /> <br />Here's a quiz back at you: What other transportation modes have had to build their own transportation systems? <br /> <br />How many trucking companies have had to build and maintain an interstate highway? How many airlines have had to build and maintain their own airports and navigation systems? <br />How many barge lines have had to build and maintain their own waterways? <br /> <br />The answer (except for a few canal boat systems) is none of them. In every case the Federal Government built and maintained the infrastructure for the airlines, truckers and barges.. <br /> <br />So my answer to your question is : <br />The other trainsporations modes were all given de facto "Land Grants" that were even more valuable than the ones given to the railroads. The railroads were merely given part of the right of way, they had to actually pay for the construction of the transportation network and have had to maintain it. The other transportation modes weren't given ownership of the land, but the Federal Government absorbed all the costs of the acquiring the land, building the transportation network and maintaining it. <br /> <br />The government gave the railroads an egg and a strip of bacon and said "Go make breakfast". The government took the trucking companies, the airlines and the barge operators to Denny's and said "Put it on my tab". <br /> <br />Dave H. <br />[/quote] <br /> <br />Dave, <br /> <br />Do you even read any of the other threads on this forum. If you had, you'd know that those other modes have had to pay for the infrastructure for the most part provided through user fees. They in turn have to include this cost when they bill their customers. The only difference between railroads and all other modes is that railroads pay property tax on the ROW, and they would rather have it that way than to equalize the playing field via open access/public ownership of rail ROW's. Indeed, the idea of the owner-operator transportation system is an anachronism, an idea that should have gone the way of the plank road. Being in control of so many factors of production only limits the scope of availability to potential customers. It is akin to a grocery store only selling procucts made by the store's owners - it limits customer choice at that store, and it limits the market exposure of the product. <br /> <br />This idea that truckers and barge lines are subsidized is a fallacy promoted by rail industry hacks. We've already pointed out that all but secondary roads and city streets are paid for by user fees. The barge lines on the Columbia/Snake waterway pay a 20 cents per gallon fuel tax that goes into the waterways trust fund. Only parts of the MIssissippi waterway are exempted from this fuel tax, ostensibly argued that riverboat commerce was present on the MIssissippi prior to any dams and levees being built, e.g. grandfathered. <br /> <br />You play fast and loose with the term "land grant" when applied to the user fees paid for by other modes. There is no logical comparison, therefore it is absurdly inappropriate to use that term in describing highway and waterway funding methods. <br /> <br />So the answer to your question "What other transportation modes have had to build their own transportation systems?" is in fact all modes in the interstate sense, at least where the corridor in question wasn't already provided by God and nature. That is why it is so arrogant and conceited for some to suggest that shippers who are dissatisfied with rail service should simply build their own rail lines. Kind of a railroaders version of "Let them eat cake". <br /> <br />I noticed you didn't answer my original question, but then again we all know the answer.....
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