Biotech Values

[iwfal]

OT - Freight and Passenger Trains sharing tracks:

Norfolk Southern Corp., Union Pacific Corp. and other railroad companies are balking at sharing their tracks or rights-of-way with trains that would run between 90 and 200-plus miles an hour. They argue that mixing high-speed passenger trains with slower freight trains would create safety risks, prevent future expansion and cause congestion. [The safety issue is obvious, but I’m not sure the other objections stand up to scrutiny.]

FWIW part of their (unstated) objection may be related to the story I heard last summer when taking Amtrak from LA to Seattle. The train (a 36 hour trip) was actually routinely ahead of schedule. Very different from my experiences growing up and reputation. When I asked why of an Amtrak service manager who happened to be riding the train his answer is that there has always been a law that freight trains had to give way (wait on a side track) in the event of a conflict. And there has always been a fine for freight trains that don't obey this. However the freight trains would always stretch the rules by keeping the Amtrak train sidelined once it was sidelined - letting 4 or 5 freight trains past. But a few years ago the fines started to be enforced and immediately Amtrak began running on time.

Bottom line - when they have to share the track with Amtrak they spend more time waiting.