[OAC_Sparky]

Oscar The Grouch,Mar 19 2008, 10:11 PM Wrote:Good luck with that.  Try to develop more rail = cutting down trees = pissing off more tree huggers.
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"Revive" is not the same as "develop more".

The move away from rail comes in large part from manufacturers using the "just in time" delivery system. While this cuts down on inventory that needs warehousing, this system only works because fuel is cheap, roads are free, and because the trucking industry has become deregulated to the point that anyone that can point a rig down the highway can get a license.

That's the only plus with limiting the speed of trucks; when truck drivers can't drive like raped apes, the cost will have to go up -- because drivers get paid by the run now, not by the hour like the old days. That's why truck drivers drive like they do -- the more loads they run the more money they make. The rise in trucking costs may make manufacturers to start to weigh the cost effectiveness of rail vs truck.

The only issue that some treehuggers is that some rail lines have been converted to trails. But the remaining system is still underused; with the technology that exists now there is no reason that you cannot increase efficiency to make it a viable option.