10 Ways High-Speed Rail Will Impact the Freight Industry

[OntarioVanMan]

Chris Aadnesen
HNTB

High-speed rail, which this year has been awarded $8 billion in stimulus grants and $2.5 billion in federal appropriations funding, promises to revolutionize our transportation system and benefit our economy in numerous ways. Many experts believe the impact of high-speed rail will rival that of the interstate highway system.

Here are 10 ways high-speed rail will impact the freight industry:

10 Ways High-Speed Rail Will Impact the Freight Industry | Journal of Commerce

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Considering..it is amazing there is no high speed service already in America...

 

[CharlesD]

Trucking companies will benefit from expanded capacity to transport intermodal freight via the railroads.

How will this impact the number of drivers these companies need and the average length of haul of those drivers?

 

[OntarioVanMan]

How will this impact the number of drivers these companies need and the average length of haul of those drivers?

This article here:

http://www.expeditersonline.com/forum/general-expediter-forum/41960-schneider-s-reinvention.html

 

[layoutshooter]

Considering..it is amazing there is no high speed service already in America...

It is not all that amazing considering that most high speed rail lines are government subsidized and do not make money. I have heard that NO passenger rail line in the U.S. operates at a profit and the same for most, if not all, city transportation systems.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

It is not all that amazing considering that most high speed rail lines are government subsidized and do not make money. I have heard that NO passenger rail line in the U.S. operates at a profit and the same for most, if not all, city transportation systems.

Not true for some part of that....

CP rail privately owned makes money on passenger/freight...
while the government owned CNR always loses money....go figure....more proof that government should stay out of business...

 

[layoutshooter]

Not true for some part of that....

CP rail privately owned makes money on passenger/freight...
while the government owned CNR always loses money....go figure....more proof that government should stay out of business...

I said most, not all. Government needs to get out of private business.

 

[greg334]

Nothing new here. They handed out money in the 90's for the same thing. Detroit still has no rail service.

High speed freight rail, not likely.

By the way, there was a comment made by a DOT official a few weeks back about eliminating trucks from the highways and forcing shipping from trucks to rail to help with the infrastructure problems.

 

[Dakota]

They will still need trucks and vans to haul the freight to the businesses

 

[Turtle]

They're still working hard on the Star Trek transporter technology, which will put all y'alls out of bidness.

 

[layoutshooter]

They're still working hard on the Star Trek transporter technology, which will put all y'alls out of bidness.

They are that Turtle. I just read where they have been able to transport a few small molicules a few feet. That day will come but I think I will be out of trucking by the time that is a reality.

 

[Jack_Berry]

infrastructure? gee how many years will it take to re-build all of the right of way and the intersections, install newer crossing barriers to keep cars from going around the gates, get the locomotives built(maybe electric overhead?) and the new frt cars built? then we will need buildings to unload all that frt into to xdock into trucks. we are secure in our current positions for at least a generation or 2 since it has taken only 50 years for the rail network to deteriorate to what it is today.

layout isn't there highspeed rail near buchanan that comes thru st joe?

the wheels are already spinning in green i would guess.

 

[Jack_Berry]

h.s. rail 1949-1959

public awareness? it was impossible to keep idiots from going around the gates when top speed was 70mph. unless there is a complete crossing guard like in britian then they can expect crashes.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

High speed would call for I'd expect.. grade separation at crossing points...There is no reason why we can't have 300 mph trains crossing the country...

 

[greg334]

High speed would call for I'd expect.. grade separation at crossing points...There is no reason why we can't have 300 mph trains crossing the country...

Europe had to rebuild their rail systems and their population was already used to walking or taking a train.

Here in the US, we can thank GM for gutting our urban rail system and then helping destroy intercity transport.

We can't have 300 mph trains or at least not under ant government sponsored research. Our governmet needs to step back from dumping money into these things and let private enterprises take over. It worked in the past, we were not government subsidized then and we built a lot of amazing things but now unless a research gets millions to sit on their A** and research, it just doesn't happen.

 

[layoutshooter]

High speed would call for I'd expect.. grade separation at crossing points...There is no reason why we can't have 300 mph trains crossing the country...

The reason we CAN'T have 300mph trains is that they LOSE money!! If it can't run at a profit on it's own they don't belong here. Why should truckers continue to pay high fuel taxes to support money losing trains, bus systems and "People Movers"?

 

[OntarioVanMan]

The reason we CAN'T have 300mph trains is that they LOSE money!! If it can't run at a profit on it's own they don't belong here. Why should truckers continue to pay high fuel taxes to support money losing trains, bus systems and "People Movers"?

No they lose money because America is a land of flyers..you guys love your planes....as Europe loves their trains...

 

[Dakota]

No they lose money because America is a land of flyers..you guys love your planes....as Europe loves their trains...

I hate flying and if high speed trains were an option I would be all over it. We cannot use our existing tracks for this purpose
and Amtack is a money loser except for the east coast. Fort Wayne is the second largest city in Indiana and we don't have Amtrack service, really sad if you ask me. It's quicker to drive for the most part because our trains are so slow. And Flying to NYC from here takes two to three layovers and nearly 10 hours. I can drive to NYC in 11 hours.

 

[layoutshooter]

I hate flying and if high speed trains were an option I would be all over it. We cannot use our existing tracks for this purpose
and Amtack is a money loser except for the east coast. Fort Wayne is the second largest city in Indiana and we don't have Amtrack service, really sad if you ask me. It's quicker to drive for the most part because our trains are so slow.

We don't need anymore money losing trains. I think I read that of the 44 Amtrack routes 41 lose money. Scrap all of them that lose. We should not be subsidizing anything like that, including city bus services. They should be able to function on their fares.

 

[Dakota]

We don't need anymore money losing trains. I think I read that of the 44 Amtrack routes 41 lose money. Scrap all of them that lose. We should not be subsidizing anything like that, including city bus services. They should be able to function on their fares.

I agree with you, but the way Amtrack is set up with goverment funding and bailouts they cannot stop service areas. Let them fail and let the free market take over.
Same with the buses, our buses are subsidized here. We have a terrible bus system here, it doesn't even go to all areas of the city, When I lived in Eugene, Oregon there bus system was awesome and everyone used them, almost didn't need a car there.
About a year back they moved the Social Security office and it was outside of where the bus operates, they were forced to go to the new office even though they lose money doing so.