Are the rairoads in the poor house?

[TH&B]

Are the railroads poor? Or better yet is the United States poor???
All these train forums always seem to end up with that things don't get done right because of costs. Isn't needing a quick return on the buck mean you're short on cash? I also can't help noticing that many of the highways are in bad shape, even terrible shape realy. I also noticed in Germany for example the highways have very smooth pavement (they even put more diamonds in thier pavement for more grip!). I also noticed the railway track was smooth as silk too, they are electrified (wich we consider too expensive), they have built great projects like the chunnel, two great bridges over the straights in Scandinavia and big tunnel projects on the go i the Alpes. Japan, China even Australia does big projects, do they all have more money to spend than the USA?? Our gas is cheap but it is also brewed dirtier then "Eurpoean gas" wich is more expensive to brew cleaner...... because they got the money?? Or does money have anything to do with this, is it the will to do? or is it some other reason????
Our cars are crappy, our tires are crappy (unless we buy import products), our roads are crappy we have poor public transit most places...... sounds to me like maybe USA is in the poor house, tell me it ain't so but the more I look around the more it seems. Are the railway's problems just a reflection of the nation?
- and ps; a big army doesn't mean you are rich, lots of poor countries have a disproportionaly large army, it's just a concentration of wealth. Russia has a big army too.

[mudchicken]

440:

The european rail lines are state owned and state funded. Their accounting system and "revenue adequacy" threshold calculations are different.

The european tax rate is much higher than in North America.

The passenger side is very good, the freight side is almost a joke.

Europe's population density makes North America look like a ghost-town with the exception of the NE and the southern left coast.

Apples & Oranges......

[JoeKoh]

Well the maumee & western is making the best of what is has left but needs $$$$ or we can pay for more truck traffic on us 24.
stay safe
joe

[enr2099]

The Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway is in the poor house after loosing 85% of their annual freight revenue. They continue to operate with the remaining 15% but that ain't paying the bills. Parent Company Rail America is pouring money into the railway to keep it running to serve 3 customers on a 181 mile network and the VIA Rail passenger service running between Victoria, BC and Courtenay, BC, RA is also slowly upgrading the E&N's infrastructure to handle the 286,000 lbs railcars. When Rail America took over the E&N Railway in 1999 from Canadian Pacific it was a moderately profitable operation, hauling 8,500 carloads of freight a year, last year the E&N moved a mere 1,000 cars.
The E&N has cut its locomotive fleet in half, they have a GP20 and 2 GP38's, all but 16 employees were laid off, and the entire 38 mile Port Alberni Subdivision has been left "to the weeds".

[overall]

Read in Railway Age that Moody's has given the railroads a "stable" rating for 2004. The free cash flow is good but the debt is high too according to Moody's Investor service. They still complain about the industry not covering cost of capitol. There has been controversy lately as to how important that part really is.
I can tell you that the industry is in MUCH better shape financially now than in the '60's and early '70's. The last bankruptcy of a major railroad was the Milwukee Road back in 1977. Every forecast I have read says that traffic on the railroads will grow. Time will tell, of course, whether the industry can turn that traffic into profit. Your crystal ball is as good as mine.

George

[Anonymous]

Of course the US is poor, they are how many trillions in debt now?

At this point it certainly doesn't seem humanly possible that it will ever be paid off.

[Anonymous]

And we still don't pay a fraction of the taxes Canadians or most western Europeans pay. We must be doing something right...

LC

[daveklepper]

$1.7billion pork barrel for unnecessary fuelcell research should go to Amtrak. Dave

[ironhorseman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Limitedclear

And we still don't pay a fraction of the taxes Canadians or most western Europeans pay. We must be doing something right...

LC

I was gonna ask where these countries get all the money to pay for their highways and railways. But to add to it they've borrowed money from the US and haven't paid it back. That's why the US in debt. Suppose we call in our debts and make those countries that borrowed our money pay it back?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE:
I was gonna ask where these countries get all the money to pay for their highways and railways. But to add to it they've borrowed money from the US and haven't paid it back. That's why the US in debt. Suppose we call in our debts and make those countries that borrowed our money pay it back?

Sounds fair to me, California alone owes a couple billion to British Columbia because of power that they have imported from BC and never paid for.

...but we aren't holding it against them.

[Mookie]

touche....

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ironhorseman

QUOTE: Originally posted by Limitedclear

And we still don't pay a fraction of the taxes Canadians or most western Europeans pay. We must be doing something right...

LC

I was gonna ask where these countries get all the money to pay for their highways and railways. But to add to it they've borrowed money from the US and haven't paid it back. That's why the US in debt. Suppose we call in our debts and make those countries that borrowed our money pay it back?

Yeah, good plan and then who is going to buy our Coke Cola.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by talbanese

QUOTE: Originally posted by ironhorseman

QUOTE: Originally posted by Limitedclear

And we still don't pay a fraction of the taxes Canadians or most western Europeans pay. We must be doing something right...

LC

I was gonna ask where these countries get all the money to pay for their highways and railways. But to add to it they've borrowed money from the US and haven't paid it back. That's why the US in debt. Suppose we call in our debts and make those countries that borrowed our money pay it back?

Yeah, good plan and then who is going to buy our Coke Cola.

Hmmm. "Coke-cola" thAt sounds like a Rule G problem...

LC

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 440cuin

Are the railroads poor? Or better yet is the United States poor???
All these train forums always seem to end up with that things don't get done right because of costs. Isn't needing a quick return on the buck mean you're short on cash? I also can't help noticing that many of the highways are in bad shape, even terrible shape realy. I also noticed in Germany for example the highways have very smooth pavement (they even put more diamonds in thier pavement for more grip!). I also noticed the railway track was smooth as silk too, they are electrified (wich we consider too expensive), they have built great projects like the chunnel, two great bridges over the straights in Scandinavia and big tunnel projects on the go i the Alpes. Japan, China even Australia does big projects, do they all have more money to spend than the USA?? Our gas is cheap but it is also brewed dirtier then "Eurpoean gas" wich is more expensive to brew cleaner...... because they got the money?? Or does money have anything to do with this, is it the will to do? or is it some other reason????
Our cars are crappy, our tires are crappy (unless we buy import products), our roads are crappy we have poor public transit most places...... sounds to me like maybe USA is in the poor house, tell me it ain't so but the more I look around the more it seems. Are the railway's problems just a reflection of the nation?
- and ps; a big army doesn't mean you are rich, lots of poor countries have a disproportionaly large army, it's just a concentration of wealth. Russia has a big army too.

OK, we really need to get away from the Chicken Little thing here. The railroads will be here. They might even merge!! (oh, no, not those threads again...lol...)

Where's Ed and DA Mook when I need them with some great joke????

LC

[Mookie]

Ed is in hiding and Da Mook is square dancing!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

Ed is in hiding and Da Mook is square dancing!

HA!HA!

Knew I could count on you...

LC

[ironhorseman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by talbanese

QUOTE: Originally posted by ironhorseman

QUOTE: Originally posted by Limitedclear

And we still don't pay a fraction of the taxes Canadians or most western Europeans pay. We must be doing something right...

LC

I was gonna ask where these countries get all the money to pay for their highways and railways. But to add to it they've borrowed money from the US and haven't paid it back. That's why the US in debt. Suppose we call in our debts and make those countries that borrowed our money pay it back?

Yeah, good plan and then who is going to buy our Coke Cola.

I wonder how much they pay for a Coke. Here it's a least $1 out of a vending machine, $1.50+ in other places, and $3-4 at any sporting event.

NASCAR is making pleanty of money from Coke sponsors and Coke is making money from NASCAR.

[ironhorseman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by macguy

QUOTE:
I was gonna ask where these countries get all the money to pay for their highways and railways. But to add to it they've borrowed money from the US and haven't paid it back. That's why the US in debt. Suppose we call in our debts and make those countries that borrowed our money pay it back?

Sounds fair to me, California alone owes a couple billion to British Columbia because of power that they have imported from BC and never paid for.

...but we aren't holding it against them.

If you want California you can have it.