Re: Oldpoleburner Quote "CTC to rule in April on UP Donner Funding
Author: Ross Hall
Date: 03-19-2008 - 17:00
By rights then you support charging airlines the full cost of using publicly built terminals, runways and air traffic control, and charging ship lines the full cost of maintaining rivers, harbors, navigational aids and the like, and charging trucks the full cost of use of our roads, bridges, scales and traffic control and law enforcement! Great idea, but don't hold your breath, it won't happen in our lifetimes. This little bit for Donner isn't even a blip on the radar screen as far as all the government spends on the other transport modes. I've never been a fan of government involvement in anything (it always comes with strings attached among many other reasons), but if the railroads are going to have any future, especially in an over taxed and over regulated state like California, they are going to have to get some public funds too, otherwise Donner Pass is going to end up a grand and expensive to taxpayers bike trail---for what the line costs UP to operate, it needs more traffic over it or it's eventually going to die off.