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To: detective
Two centuries ago, the first great railroad expansion was a triumph of private enterprise.
5 posted on 06/13/2019 11:40:22 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: BenLurkin

Less than a century ago too. Then government started eating away at it, piling on taxes and regulations as they started to build highways on the taxpayer dime and giving tax breaks to truckers. Private railroads were even starting to build their own self-funded high-speed passenger trains before the new millstone of regulations killed that for them. Sad story when you look at it through the years.


29 posted on 06/13/2019 12:31:44 PM PDT by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: BenLurkin

There was a lot more government involvement than many on this board give credit in the first build out of the US rail system. A few examples; The New York Central was created by the State of NY from a series of struggling Rail Roads, and given a degree of protection by the New York legislature. The Pennsylvania Rail Road was given a lot of protection from competition by the State of Pennsylvania, severely restricting the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road from building their own links to Pittsburgh and NYC. The B&O for their part were bailed out at least once by the State of MD. Then there is the Union Pacific created by the feds for building the eastern end of the Transcontinental Rail Road, and paid in land for doing the building.

I may think passenger rail has a part to play in the future of US transportation. California High Speed Rail Authority should not though, it should be killed as a example to others planning large transportation projects. The price as first sold seems to always be low, 1/3 of actual cost seems to be on the more accurate end of these estimates. I want the promoters and managers of these projects to be told that no there is no more money, finish the project on what you have or declare bankruptcy.


38 posted on 06/13/2019 2:46:09 PM PDT by Fraxinus (My opinion, worth what you paid.)
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