05-16-2024, 03:15 PM
(05-16-2024, 03:00 PM)ijmorlan Wrote: It would be a better argument to refer to the suburban freeway network. As it stands, trucking and therefore logistics and supply chains would collapse if the 4xx highways disappeared. Even there, we’re arguing about what could be, and what could be is a lot more freight rail, and electrified for an even better result. But at least those highways are actually essential to the current way the economy operates. The Gardiner is not.
I don't foresee commerce ever going back to freight railroads instead of trucks. Capitalism went whole hog switching to just-in-time delivery in the aughties for the short term accounting high of eliminating inventory and warehousing costs, and freight rail is simply too slow at getting small inventory lots from place to place to ever put that genie back in the bottle.
...K