Let’s update our nation’s rail, river, and canal transportation. (debt, interest)

[Supposn]

Let’s update our nation’s rail, river, and canal transportation.

U.S. federal and state’s governments subsidize Amtrak, a quasi-government corporation; Its entire stock is owned by the federal government and it operates less than 800 miles of track nation-wide. Amtrak doesn’t own some of the track it operates.

USA’s railroads are 2nd or 3d rate in comparison to railroads of many other nations. USA’s passenger and freight trains move much slower and much less safely. There’s need for greater subsidy to update our roadbeds, signal and control technology. I would suppose the railroad corporations and our nation’s economy would benefit if railroad corporations and/or states owned sidings, rail yards, and stations; (stations are in effect similar to a siding or a rail yard). But Amtrak would own and controlled all, or almost all the tracks they operate.

Amtrak would control traffic somewhat in the manner as FAA administrates and controls air traffic. They’d operate the tracks in a similar manner as toll roads are operated. If a state chooses not to fully contribute their share per mile attributed to maintaining the tracks and supporting technology of Amtrak tracks within their jurisdictions, their intrastate traffic will be charged a compensating higher toll rate per mile.

Amtrak’s decisions to subsidize the building of additional and/or parallel modern high-speed right-of-ways would be determined primarily by the need for safety and the second consideration for likelihood of eventually recovering the additional cost and interest being invested within portions of Amtrak routes within the states jurisfdictions. The additional costs of exceptionally high-speed routes would justify greater toll rates charged to higher-speed traffic.
States disagreeing with Amtrak’s decisions regarding building or updating routes, could issue their own bonds to greater subsidize the creation or updating of sections or entire routes within their jurisdictions. The increased toll revenues derived from those portions of routes subsidized by additional state bonds, would be earmarked to first repay those state bond holders.

Respectfully, Supposn

[NJ Brazen_3133]

Who uses canals anymore?

[Huckleberry3911948]

That is stuff you would do if you had people who would work for free or almost nothing or if the USA could use another 60 trillion of debt

[Supposn]

Originally Posted by NJ Brazen_3133

Who uses canals anymore?

NJ Brazen_3133, I couldn’t answer your question, so I googled for an answer. I’m not proud of my ignorance, but it's shameful not to seek information that readily available.

I googled “European canal and river cargo industries”. This was the very first link I obtained:
https://stockcargo.eu/waterways-barge-transport/ :
The link explains the commercial advantages of shipping bulk cargo by inland waterways. They don’t do it because it’s romantic, but rather because it’s cost effective. But it does require governments to better support their own domestic industries.

Respectfully, Supposn

[Supposn]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948

That is stuff you would do if you had people who would work for free or almost nothing or if the USA could use another 60 trillion of debt

Huckleberry3911948, I suppose you can believe that.

But I suppose governments’ support their canal and river infrastructures because it’s beneficial to their economy; enterprises use waterway shiping of their bulk cargoes because it’s cost effective; other enterprises profit by providing boat or barge shipping services.

But maybe the rest of the world is stupid and only Huckleberry3911948 is knowledgeable. You’ll enjoy laughing at this commercial shipper’s claims.
Refer to https://stockcargo.eu/waterways-barge-transport/ .

Respectfully, Supposn

[artillery77]

Sounds good man. Let's do it.

[TimAZ]

Shovel ready projects — but nobody wants to pick up a shovel. Can’t we just simulate progress and display it on a monitor somewhere?

[lieqiang]

Originally Posted by Supposn

But maybe the rest of the world is stupid and only Huckleberry3911948 is knowledgeable. You’ll enjoy laughing at this commercial shipper’s claims.
Refer to https://stockcargo.eu/waterways-barge-transport/

So because Huckleberry3911948 disagrees with you on this barge thing, everyone else in the world must be on your side therefore isolating Huckleberry3911948 as the lone dissenting voice?

You sure swung for the fences right off the bat in the logical fallacy homerun derby.

[mshultz]

The Great Flood of 1913 wiped out Ohio's canal system. It had been declining before that, so there was no thought of rebuilding it.

[Briargate]

When gasoline gets to $10 or so a gallon, then you may find more support for your ideas.