4 ms·

As far as I understand, many places use trains for these purposes. It means that less drivers are needed and the cargo spends more time in transit. Alas, the u

As far as I understand, many places use trains for these purposes. It means that less drivers are needed and the cargo spends more time in transit. Alas, the united states has a fairly poor cargo rail system, which in fairness is due to its spread out geography in many places.

skybrian 12y ago
I don't know that much about the railroads but that doesn't sound right: "America's freight railways are one of the unsung transport successes of the past 30 years. They are universally recognised in the industry as the best in the world." http://www.economist.com/node/16636101 http://www.economist.com/node/16636101
idlewords 12y ago
No, in the US the two systems are used for different things. Trucks allow point-to-point delivery. Trains are more useful for carrying bulk commodities. John McPhee has written some wonderful articles about modes of transport, and the people who work in them: http://www.amazon.com/Uncommon-Carriers-John-McPhee/dp/0865477396 http://www.amazon.com/Uncommon-Carriers-John-McPhee/dp/08654...
- mjhoy 12y ago
  I was about to post about John McPhee, too, when I saw your comment. Excellent book, recommended. Somewhat related, also great: Looking for a Ship.
  - afarrell 12y ago
    The Box, but Mark Levinson is also a great read. http://www.amazon.com/The-Box-Shipping-Container-Smaller/dp/0691136408 http://www.amazon.com/The-Box-Shipping-Container-Smaller/dp/...
- gsnedders 12y ago
  What's stopping intermodal containers being used to displace the long-distance trucking? Trains should on the face of it be cheaper, even when you're not transporting bulk commodities (you're talking in the US case a train 1500m long, potentially with the containers double-stacked depending on the route).
  - idlewords 12y ago
    This paper seems to give an interesting perspective: http://intermodal.transportation.org/Documents/brown.pdf http://intermodal.transportation.org/Documents/brown.pdf It comes down to highway transportation being massively subsidized in the US, to the detriment of rail. So rail is cheaper but much higher latency than trucking, with the potential for long and unpredictable delays.

skybrian 12y ago

I don't know that much about the railroads but that doesn't sound right: "America's freight railways are one of the unsung transport successes of the past 30 years. They are universally recognised in the industry as the best in the world." http://www.economist.com/node/16636101 http://www.economist.com/node/16636101

idlewords 12y ago

No, in the US the two systems are used for different things. Trucks allow point-to-point delivery. Trains are more useful for carrying bulk commodities. John McPhee has written some wonderful articles about modes of transport, and the people who work in them: http://www.amazon.com/Uncommon-Carriers-John-McPhee/dp/0865477396 http://www.amazon.com/Uncommon-Carriers-John-McPhee/dp/08654...

mjhoy 12y ago
I was about to post about John McPhee, too, when I saw your comment. Excellent book, recommended. Somewhat related, also great: Looking for a Ship.
- afarrell 12y ago
  The Box, but Mark Levinson is also a great read. http://www.amazon.com/The-Box-Shipping-Container-Smaller/dp/0691136408 http://www.amazon.com/The-Box-Shipping-Container-Smaller/dp/...
gsnedders 12y ago
What's stopping intermodal containers being used to displace the long-distance trucking? Trains should on the face of it be cheaper, even when you're not transporting bulk commodities (you're talking in the US case a train 1500m long, potentially with the containers double-stacked depending on the route).
- idlewords 12y ago
  This paper seems to give an interesting perspective: http://intermodal.transportation.org/Documents/brown.pdf http://intermodal.transportation.org/Documents/brown.pdf It comes down to highway transportation being massively subsidized in the US, to the detriment of rail. So rail is cheaper but much higher latency than trucking, with the potential for long and unpredictable delays.