Rail Freight Market Share Increase

[juliusaugustus]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=freight-rail-back-to-the-future The market share of freight rail v L.D. Trucking is increasing as a result of rising fuel prices, rising labor cost, and because highways are becoming a more congested making them a slow way to ship goods. Railroads are example of how often the free market solves a problem government causes. Government is viewed to be the provider of transportation, but due to lack of investment much of the system remains crumbling and inefficient (like most of things government does), however the private rail system continues to receive private investment. I disagree with article to create a level playing field for rail simply stop subsidizing it competition and further deregulate it. So failing to provide effective transportation is in effect a failing of government, because it makes itself the main provider of transportation for many purposes.

[Anti Federalist]

See the "Inter City Passenger Rail" thread.

[acptulsa]

Government has become so corrupt that what was once rail's big disadvantage--the fact that the competition (air, highway) was subsidized by the government--has become its disadvantage. If you're waiting for the government to repair your crumbling infrastructure because you don't own it yourself, you're in a position for rail to kick your ass.

And this in spite of the fact that rail has to subsidize to a degree government transportation in the form of Amtrak, and put up with the major inconvenience of having it on their properties.

A finer proof of the superiority of private enterprise I cannot imagine.