Kassab: Railroad carries new message

I'm standing in Taft, the industrial hub just south of Orlando, and watching as a mammoth lift hoists a 40,000-pound container from a rail car still on the tracks and then lowers it precisely onto a semi ...

[Chris]

They could be a whole lot more 'green' if they would electrify their tracks. Even India has electric railroads for freight and passenger traffic.

[Cheese]

A good number of my family worked for the railroad, freight & passenger. Electric trains are extremely reliable and powerful. BUT,(freight service) there's a massive infrastructure cost to stringing those lines on every siding and every freight yard. There would have to be diesel "shifters" working, thereby driving up costs, it's a hard nut to crack.

India's railroads were designed over half a century ago by the Brits. The way I understand it, many of those coaches are still in service. Maybe they're updating things with new found wealth.

In the Northeast, most passenger passenger lines are electrified and have been since the 1930's. And there was a time when nobody made electric trains as well as the US.

[Dennis]

I say nationalize the railroads.

[Chris]

Hmm I can imagine sidings and yards could be a mess. Just regular passenger stations in places like Koln and Paris are a mess of wires.

The information on India is available at http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-elec.html looks like 65% of their 'traffic' is electrified.

Swiss and French systems are a better example but I just thought it's interesting that we've let our train system become something that even India would be ashamed of.

I understand that infrastructure is alot of the problem..not necessarly the cost but the property taxes that would go up after electrification.

[Cheese]

Dennis wrote:

I say nationalize the railroads.

They did when Penn Central, Reading etc were failing. The company was called Conrail. The passenger version is called Amtrak. When Conrail recovered and made a profit, stock was issued. Than it was sold off to Norfolk Southern & CSX.

All local transportation companies are quasi governmentally owned. Public transportation hasn't been profitable in 100 years. Infrastructure is really what it needs to be considered.

[Bob]

The Federal Goverment has failed to recognize passenger intercity rail is a viable form of transport. And that failure extends to freight railroading too.

Freight rail companies are very good at what they do and after deregulation proved it.

Electrification if there is good investment in it does yield higher horsepower locomotives. However the cost maintaining eletric infrastrature for now has outwayed the modern fuel efficient engines such as General Eltric GEVO's and General Motors SD70M-2's. These new engines are very fuel efficient and clean and as long as models like that continue to be developed we will not see eletricfication.

Union Pacific and a few others have studied the idea in high density corrdidors but came to the conclusion...for now...that the existing new motive power is the way to go.

[Bob]

Chris wrote:

Hmm I can imagine sidings and yards could be a mess. Just regular passenger stations in places like Koln and Paris are a mess of wires.
The information on India is available at http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-elec.html looks like 65% of their 'traffic' is electrified.
Swiss and French systems are a better example but I just thought it's interesting that we've let our train system become something that even India would be ashamed of.
I understand that infrastructure is alot of the problem..not necessarly the cost but the property taxes that would go up after electrification.

The Swiss get their power from nuke plants...they will not feel the fuel crunch like we do....

[Sean T Wright]

I look at this blog and feel pride in what some individuals around Central Florida are standing up for.

Chris, Cheese, & Bob.

If you should come back to read this. All brought up good points. Join our rail advocating more. Rail expansion of commuter & freight is a very important issue to all of Florida. I advocate for Tri-Rail in my area all the time.

A gentlemen here said something I want to pass to you all.

Quote of Mr. Glickmen "We need to strike while the iron is hot". Your engagement in advocating for Rail helps your community that needs ways for the future.

The public through your advocating has better understanding of pros of rail expanding as this article discusses. I hope to see you in future blogs about C.F.R & Florida Rail.