Rail industry urges Obama to include freight train component in stimulus plan

Everybody wants a piece of the pie.

 

Why don't we bail out everybody. We can then just tax everyone's wages 100% and everything will be free.

Go to GM, get your taxpayer owned truck, stop and get a newspaper from the taxpayer owned publisher. Drive home to your taxpayer paid for house.

Sound about right?

 

Rite on!!!!
Where do I go to git mine???

 

They arent asking for a bailout. You should read the article. They have a very good point. You can also find a bit more detailed article if you google the subject.

 

nothing new the choo-choos have been subsidized for many years, if it wasn't for their government handouts they would have been gone in the 60s and 70s, now they want the government to pay for tracks that will greatly reduce truckings share of the pie and reduce trucks to local and regional runs that no one can make a living doing.

 

They currently handle between 7% and 14% of the freight (depending on who you talk to). That is ALL they can handle on worn-out infrastructure.

 

hence the reason they want $$$$. so they can make there infrastructer and get ahead of this industry "we call a job"

 

That's socialism...never happen because it doesn't work.

 

The ONLY thing the RR's had removed from them was Passenger Service however they HAD TO PAY TEH GOVERMENT 2 years upo front of their losses hauling them to get out from hauling passengers also. They also are NOW going to have to come up with 50 BILLION dollars in 6 years to put in a Federally MANDATED system that the Feds As usual WILL NOT PAY FOR. The RR's got hit with something called PTC or Postive Train Control where that if the engineer speeds or misses a signal somehow the train will make the apporoiate action itself. Now the RR's have to come up with a system the FRA and DOT will approve and they require 100% reliability all the time per the regulations. Yet nothing out there cvan meet that. The RR's also pay to do ANY EXPANSION OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKETS. The Triple Tracking of Cajon Pass was paid for entirely by the BNSF they also paid for the ENTIRE DOUBLE TRACKING OF THEIR MAINLINE TO CHICAGO while turning a profit every year.

What they are asking for the FRA to help PAY FOR A SYSTEM THAT THEY ARE GETTING RAMMED DOWN THEIR THROATS. PTC IS GOING TO BE REQUIRED ON ALL TRACKS EVEN YARDS and shortlines that have speed limit of 10 mph. Now we scream about fuel and road use taxes. Here is what the BNSF paid in Property Taxes last Year to my county just on their tracks and other facilaties 400 grand.