Sammie,

Many years ago, during a conversation with a European railroad official, I had to explain that in the U.S., railroads had to pay property taxes, and therefore the avoidance of paying these taxes was a key incentive for abandoning low-volume lines.

The European railroad official said this was the most bizarre things he had ever heard. (My translation -- the conversation took place in German.)


Of course, in Europe, the vast majority of railroads are government owned. Even many of the so-called "private" railroads are actually owned by local and regional governments.

-- Ernest