Juppo wrote:" Trucks are useless for anything other than overnight deliveries or a bunch of local deliveries." So how do you explain the enormous amount of our nation's freight that " goes by truck" ??? And by " local deliveries" , do you include the drayage of all those containers that roll across the nation's rails everyday ??? Here in Seattle, many draymen ( can haulers ) parked their trucks in 2008, when diesel fuel hit $3.50 a gallon. Many of them have not returned to can hauling, instead finding a better paying job, often out of trucking. New environmental requirements for the trucks have sidelined more can haulers. Similar situations exist in the Ports of Los Angeles / Long Beach, as well as Houston.
I agree with the efficiencies of using the railroad for the longhaul, and trucks for only the end point movement. But this will require a wholesale change in the way retailers distribute their product. WalMart has a large distribution center in Hermiston, OR., within a few miles of both the Ewe - Pee & BNSF mainlines along the Columbia River. Yet they pay draymen to haul import containers 220+ miles from the Ports of Seattle / Tacoma, and domestic containers from Seattle rail yards. Why ??? Because time is money, even in a short - haul corridor. The advent of ' Just - in - Time ' distribution has allowed retailers to downsize their warehouses; however this requires tighter delivery schedules into the warehouse too. Perhaps a rapid increase in fuel, and therefore drayage rates, will be enough of an incentive to change. But as you've noted, railroads will have to improve service & restart "... intercity railroading with spurs & branches off the mainlines tapping into cities." Why did the railroads walk away from this type of business in the first place??? Because they were 'losing a dollar a ton, but making it up in volume' ??? Ask shippers or some of the shortline operators how their " loose car" service is with Ewe - Pee. I agree that change will come, but it will be co$tly.