Erik H. Wrote:
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> Pdxrailtransit Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > ODOT has spent bazillions on widening and
> > straightening this widow maker...all of the
> people
> > I saw in Astoria getting back on the train...
>
> Let's see. 200 riders on the train. Not a single
> car of revenue freight in over two decades.
>
> U.S. 20 carries 5,000 vehicles a day over the
> Coast Range summit, including loaded freight
> trucks in both directions, buses, and private
> vehicles.
>
> If I only have X number of dollars, where should I
> spend it...a rail line that has received numerous
> grants of assistance and has been an utter failure
> (zero freight prospect for Astoria, failed ethanol
> plant upriver, insufficient population for
> passenger rail service, very limited tourism
> season, buses provide essential transportation
> without subsidy), or to a highway that has a
> clearly defined economic benefit and need
> (supports hundreds of jobs in Newport and Toledo
> that export goods, allows shipment of needed goods
> into Lincoln County)?
>
> Think of it this way: When the Tillamook Line
> shut down, zero jobs were lost. In fact Hampton
> shut down its Willamina and Fort Hill (now
> dismantled) mills (which had rail access) at the
> depth of the economic recession but kept the
> Tillamook mill (sans rail service) open. When the
> Coos Bay Line shut down, there were a handful of
> lost jobs but no business closures related to the
> line; it could be argued that due to the economy
> those jobs would have been lost anyways.
>
> If U.S. 20 shuts down, do you think
> Georgia-Pacific would remain in Toledo?
>
> Astoria has attracted visitors from cruise ships -
> far more people contributing to the local economy
> at one time than the train. Imagine if Oregon
> made a concerted effort to attract a cruise line
> company to make port stops in Astoria, Newport and
> Coos Bay - all of which would need only minimal
> investment as they already have deep-draft ship
> berths. We could attract some of the money
> currently flowing north to Alaska and B.C., with
> only a small outlay and virtually no ongoing
> operating losses to worry about.


Dear Erik H.

Why don't you just order a big pile of asphalt delivered to your house. Then you can sit on it, and that can be your hobby.

Pdx