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The US already has tons of rail, it's just only used for freight (often coal.) Maybe that's what they meant?
by swiley 5y ago
The US already has tons of rail, it's just only used for freight (often coal.) Maybe that's what they meant?
- moshmosh 5y agoI'd never made the connection between the gradual shuttering of coal plants and freight rail, but wow, that is a big deal. A quick search finds that coal is about 30% of rail tonnage in the US. A bunch more (not looking it up, but if you've ever seen a train, it's clearly also a lot of what they haul) is other fossil fuels. I wonder how they're going to cope with (let's give a very lowball estimate) 40% of their tonnage tapering off over the next few decades. Looks like coal shipped by rail is already way down from its peak, and dropping fast. Looks like they charge a premium for intermodal shipping—may have to cut prices on that to keep volume up.
- bombcar 5y agoCoal and other bulk materials are “easy” - one customer on each end. Intermodal is more complicated but at the right price it’ll be competitive with trucking.