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I can't find anything more formal with a quick search, but this is pretty plausible http://alankandel.scienceblog.com/2014/01/11/rails-vs-roads-for-value-utiliz

by jfoutz 11y ago

I can't find anything more formal with a quick search, but this is pretty plausible http://alankandel.scienceblog.com/2014/01/11/rails-vs-roads-for-value-utilization-emissions-savings-difference-like-night-and-day/ http://alankandel.scienceblog.com/2014/01/11/rails-vs-roads-... $35million/mile for rail, $25million/mile for a single lane. Rail maintenance is cheaper, and ongoing costs are generally lower - you don't need police patrolling railroads. Railroads are cool, and they have a lot of advantages, but we've got this huge investment in our existing system. And unfortunately, unlike self driving cars, there isn't a smooth transition. It's like switching from pc to mac, but all of your software is home made, and must be rewritten. You have a huge upfront investment to just get started, and you have to maintain the other system as well.

pjc50 11y ago
The two key advantages of road over rail: - much shorter stopping distances. This lets roads be "general access" in a way that rails have never been, even if you were to have a railway running past your house. - much smaller minimum turn radius - ability to drive around obstacles
- kuschku 11y ago
  The situations where roads are better: - low amounts of people (or goods) - going into different directions - coming from different places The situations where rails are better: - high amounts of people (or goods) - going into the same general direction - coming from the same general area Which is why roads are damn useful in rural cases, but if you think about building a 23-lane highway, maybe rail might be better.