Re: The joy of actual numbers, was Democracy

On Sun, 3 Nov 2024 09:55:42 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

The USA already has the transcontinental tracks, they just need
upgrading.

https://transportgeography.org/contents/chapter5/rail-transportation-
pipelines/rail-track-mileage-united-states/

93,000 miles worth. It wouldn't be an impossible task and would make more
sense than pouring billions down Ukrainian, Israeli, and other rat holes.
For a sense of scale, the interstate system is about 47,000 miles.

If high speed rail freight became cheaper than a truck, people would
switch to it.

Intermodal is already in use for loads that are not time sensitive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermodal_freight_transport

A company I worked for used a variation. There was a terminal in
Mississippi. Trucks would bring in furniture from the factories in the
southeast and it would be loaded into railcars. The railcars would then be
unloaded in Seattle, Helena, or other terminals for delivery. That worked
for mixed loads. Truckload freight was usually done with trucks. Since
many of the consignees didn't have rail sidings sending it by rail would
have meant a lot of extra handling. The company wasn't big enough to make
piggybacks feasible.