This video is a good overview of North American rail transportation today.

[JonMyrlennBailey]

It's also explaining what's in store for the rail industry in the New World tomorrow. It states that as autonomous trucking rises, railroads will also have to employ this auto technology more to remain competitive. It's the economy, stupid. It also explains how intermodal freight is seeing a lot more consumer goods taking train rides whereas railroads handled the bulk commodities as coal mainly in the past. Freight transportation drives the economy and technology will evolve to best handle market demands. The video states that a self-driving truck cuts trucking costs by 70%. American rail transportation is largely privatized unlike much of the rest of the world. Is it really better for consumers to have rail transportation remain private than rather publicly held as it is Europe? Amtrak passenger service makes no profit and has to pay fees to private railways for track use. Taxpayers dump money into Amtrak too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q79BHfxfaSI

 

[Manifest]

Very interesting video with good footage of the railroads in action. As a CPA, I particularly enjoyed how and why the railroad's financial success has changed over the decades and the opportunities/challenges facing the railroads today. Thanks for the link!

 

[JonMyrlennBailey]

Very interesting video with good footage of the railroads in action. As a CPA, I particularly enjoyed how and why the railroad's financial success has changed over the decades and the opportunities/challenges facing the railroads today. Thanks for the link!

You're welcome. I don't see any burning desire for driverless trains on American soil anytime soon. The railroad companies are just toying with this notion for now it seems. They want to be profitable as they can be while staying within the letter of the applicable rail transportation laws. If they are able to can humans for robots and increase profits without getting into trouble with regulators, they will do that, mark my words. I do think RR's violate things from time to time and have to pay fines and attorneys and maybe pay off politicians to boot. Political favors. If the freight rail industry pays enough money and the unions stand by RR employees, they will always find two working stiff humans not worried about their personal health, lack of social home life or safety to crew a long-haul freight train. If the price is right, Big Trucking can always find drivers to hire too.

More than the unions and the government, the SHAREHOLDERS own American railroads. Wall Street investors want maximum dividends.

 

[Pendolino]

Is it really better for consumers to have rail transportation remain private than rather publicly held as it is Europe?

Please, get some updated news... a sizable share of rail freight traffic in Europe is already carried by private companies. Private passenger companies are fewer, but there are some, including one running high-speed trains.

The rail network, on the other hand, is usually owned and maintained by a publicly held company (as far as I know, only the United Kingdom attempted to privatize it, with less than satisfying results) and rail companies (both public and private, passenger and freight) pay a fee to run their trains on the network.

 

[JonMyrlennBailey]

In America, railways are privately-held, that means tracks and trackside buildings. The same railways also generally own and operate the rolling stock thereon. They may also lease rolling stock from other entities. So, in Europe it seems as the public owns the tracks while private carriers own and operate trains. It can be kind of confusing as to owns and operates what and where in the whole of rail transportation. In America, the trucking industry is private and owns trucks and buildings while the roadways they travel upon are public, save for a few private toll roads and bridges. In America, the Amtrak passenger service travels on mostly track owned by other companies. Amtrak paid other railroads last year 147 million in track tolls which seems rather dirt cheap to me. I believe that freight trains have priority over Amtrak for track usage. In America, freight is the meat and potatoes of railroads, not passengers.