Rail vs truck industry

The train industry has so many drawbacks simply due to the way America was planned during the post WW2 era, with advent of suburbia. During the 50s and 60s when the highway system was being developed there were many regulations being created in favor of the automotive industry, thus hurting the train industry.

A few figures major figures about trains to consider:

• 85% of the wear on our highways is caused by trucks.
• One 80,000 lb truck does as much damage to the highway as 10,000 cars.
• One train can replace 280 to 500 trucks, since each wagon can carry on average 100 tons vs 56 ton max on a truck.
• A truck requires 3 times more fuel per ton per mile. Though the figures range from 1.4 to 9 depending on equipment and conditions.

Just a few of the benefits that would result from replacing as much of the trucking industry with rail as possible:

• Significant reduction in wear and maintenance costs associated with highways.
• Less maintenance and less trucks on highways means less traffic jams, which cost an estimated 100 billion yearly to the US economy.
• Using less fuel to ship goods would lower dependency on foreign oil and help reduce emissions for the environment.
• Cheaper goods, due to cost reductions in shipping since a large portion is based on fuel consumption. Exactly the reason why truckers are often heard having protests and strikes during high fuel prices. Cheap goods would result in a boost in the economy.
• The rail industry is financially responsible for it’s infrastructure. While trucking companies only contribute a small mount to the extremely large budget that is spent on keeping the road infrastructure in America running. Lots of government funds can be freed up and allocated to better uses.
• In 1995 42,000 people died in automobile accidents. A third of all highway accidents that result in death involve trucks. Meanwhile the railroad industry only claims about 500 lives per year (almost all to people who deserved them).
• One rail line can carry as many people in a day as 16 lanes of highway. Plus trains are actually quieter than trucks. Highways produce a lot of noise pollution and require the placement of sound barriers. Meanwhile a train only comes once in a while, and even then does not create too much noise.
• The trucking industry has no future, while trains are constantly evolving, with the advent of the magnetic trains, and even today’s diesel locomotives are far superior technologically than their truck counterparts.