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It's not just a political problem. It's also a legal one due to the property rights involved.
by jeffreyrogers 2y ago
It's not just a political problem. It's also a legal one due to the property rights involved.
- yogurtboy 2y agoIn this case, as in many others, political problems are just legal problems at scale.
- s1k3s 2y agoCan't the US govt buy back any land they want for infrastructure? I mean forcibly buy back.
- jeffreyrogers 2y agoYes, it's called eminent domain. But if the government attempts to do so you can file a lawsuit and argue that they don't have a right to purchase your property from you. These lawsuits are expensive and take a lot of time/effort, which makes building a railway impractical by this method. To "solve" this politically would require a constitutional amendment, which is obviously not going to happen for this issue.
- stetrain 2y agoYou can also try negotiating peacefully first: https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/virginia-and-charlotte-n-c-officially-to-acquire-norfolk-southern-routes/ https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/virginia-a...
- mattmaroon 2y agoGovernments usually do try negotiating peacefully first. It’s better for everyone involved than the alternative.
- chairmansteve 2y agoBut, as a previous poster said, these problems always seem solveable when building a freeway.
- macintux 2y agoI think it's a question of public support, political will, and stamina. People think of freeways as vital, so it's ok if I-69 through southern Indiana takes over 30 years from initial studies to completion. If a train route took 30 years to build, it would be lambasted as a boondoggle and abandoned.
- stetrain 2y agoEminent domain means property rights issues for public infrastructure are also political issues.
- jeffreyrogers 2y agoThey become legal issues when those cases go to court (which is what frequently occurs)
- CalRobert 2y agoSomehow we don't seem to face this problem when it comes to building roads.
- stetrain 2y agoEven when we build them right through populated downtown areas! https://www.vox.com/2015/5/14/8605917/highways-interstate-cities-history https://www.vox.com/2015/5/14/8605917/highways-interstate-ci...
- jeffreyrogers 2y agoA road is usable if you build it piecemeal, that's not true of a railway.
- rangestransform 2y agoi don't understand why the government doesn't do stealth land acquisition more, with shell companies like denver airport