3 ms·
I'm not one that usually advocates for nationalization, but with these rail companies, this should be done. For multiple reason: - These companies make absurd
by panick21_ 4y ago
I'm not one that usually advocates for nationalization, but with these rail companies, this should be done.
For multiple reason:
- These companies make absurdly huge profit that could be reinvested into the network to improve the network for everybody (electrification, passenger transport). And these are not some complex tech companies that the government couldn't operate.
- These companies are blocking passenger travel and don't care that they are doing it, all other approaches to prevent this have failed. With the current structure there is no change for the US ever to develop a serious passenger rail infrastructure, either inter-city, regional or S-Bahn style. Many local government and states might want to do more train stuff but currently don't feel empowered to do so any trying is often not even worth it.
- They are removing anything not absurdly profitable, shifting things from rail to trucks. And then trucks use government funded road and highway infrastructure instead. Its just bad intensives.
- Current companies have a bad track record and there are way to many derailments, and this is serious strategic concern for logistics that the government should really take better care off.
Just for reference, with the current profit of these companies, the US could easily executed a systematic program of electrification, track and signaling upgrades. Vastly improving both the amount of cargo that can be transported and the passenger that can be transported, and doing so in a much more substantial way.
While trains are energy efficient, and its better then trucks, currently they use very dirty locos with no plan of changing it (some mild greenwashing but nothing real). Some of these train companies are literally some of the largest individual users of fossil fuels (behind things like DoD) and no plan for change anytime soon.
It would also make transporting cargo from city-to-city easier if these cities are currently in the domain of one of the competitor companies. This is a real problem for shipping.
If the US wants to seriously drive modal share of cargo and passenger transport to green energy efficient trains, its the only way I can see it gone work.
- winrid 4y agoBut how do you nationalize an entire industry?
- JetSpiegel 4y agoIf only the president's party controlled both houses of Congress, they could have passed a bill and he would have signed it. An hypothetical situation, when this was being discussed about 3 months ago...
- winrid 4y agoNo, I mean, how do you do it? Do you walk into the offices with the army and force them out? Take all their assets? You realize you'd probably have people funded by the railroads storming the capital? It'd be like a revolution.
- jackvalentine 4y agoYou buy out the shareholders in a compulsory acquisition. Fantasies about the army and revolutions are childish imagination run wild.
- winrid 4y agoHahaha for sure.
- JetSpiegel 4y agoHow did FDR buy up all the gold? Just pass a bill, no army needed. Isn't the USA a rule of law state? Now, if the railroad bosses are willing to fight with the federal government, they are welcome to hire mercenaries. I hear Wagner wants cash.