cials of BNSF, a railroad now in the early stages of studying the feasibility of building a liquid natural gas processing plant and re- fueling station to power the company’s next generation of locomotives. Governor Dalrymple’s role in all this is to encourage the railroad to build the natural gas processing plant in North Dakota. Obvi- ously, that would be a big deal for his state. The bigger story is that BNSF officials are studying the cost savings to be derived from converting from diesel power to liquified natural gas for locomotives. The Bismarck Tribune editorial board
lays out a way in which natural gas, if used soon by the railroads, would give trains a leg-up on their trucker competition. As the newspaper states, “If BNSF would begin fu- eling its locomotives with natural gas, it also would catch the attention of the larger transportation industry.” In other words, if the railroads led the way
on this, other modes would likely feel the pressure to play catch-up. As the paper adds, “There’s a potential to fuel all kinds of vehi- cles with natural gas. But that can’t happen until there’s a network of refueling stations available to cars and trucks traveling long distance. No big trucks traveling long dis- tances can make the conversion to natural gas [without assurance that it will work].” Right, and under that scenario, we can see once again how the “old fashioned railroads” (as defined by some in the younger genera- tion accustomed to the “fly-drive” syndrome) can continue blazing the trail for all trans- portation modes.
If the railroad’s explo-
ration of natural gas as a fuel works out, oth- ers will give natural gas a harder look.
HSR vs. Freight? Either-Or? Freight rail is a “geographic necessity” in America. That assertion, by AAR boss Ed Hamberger, would be expected; it’s his job to promote the freight lines. But a study of the logistics of ground transport would lend credibility to his claims in a recent interview with National Public Radio. The Obama administration has drawn up a map of a national vision of high-speed (HSR) trains, some going at European and Asian-style speeds of 220 m.p.h. and faster. Obviously, there’s no way that system can accommodate fast passenger trains and 100- car freight runs on the same trackage. Here’s the problem, as we have outlined previously: The demand for both freight and passenger rail service has grown immensely in recent years, and both are expected to in- crease dramatically in the years ahead. The question, then, is not only whether freight traffic can share rights of way with HSR (it can’t), but also the extent to which America’s freight rail infrastructure can in the future blend in with even conventional passenger traffic. That
push-this-way-and-that pressure
has been a factor ever since the privately op- erated railroads were finally allowed to get out of the passenger business and leave it to Amtrak. As Hamberger told NPR, the issue is that high-speed passenger trains could ac- tually threaten the health of freight rail if not carefully coordinated.
Senators’ Parting Shot? Senators Jay Rockefeller (
D-W.Va.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) have re-intro- duced their infrastructure investment legis- lation. And this time, for whatever reason,
they’re calling it a “fund,” not a “bank” as was previously the designation. The meas- ure would place their two-year, $5 billion per annum fund within DOT. Six per cent of the funding would go in the form of grants rather than loans. That will be welcome news for transit agencies that are perennial- ly strapped for dollars. The legislation, depending on its ultimate distribution, would end up in the hands of entities overseeing rail operations where bridges and tunnels (some going back to the 19th century) are in dire need of refurbish- ment or replacement. Both Democratic sen- ators plan to retire at the end of the 113th Congress which expires in January 2015, and apparently they intend to make their exit with this ”think big” project as part of their legacies. The Rockefeller-Lautenberg bill came
shortly after President Obama’s announce- ment in his State of the Union address that he wants to rebuild the nation’s infrastruc- ture to the tune of $50 billion.
Speaking of Infrastructure The new chairman of the House Transporta- tion and Infrastructure Committee held his first hearing in late February. Following the footsteps of his father (former Chairman E.G. “Bud” Shuster [R-Pa.] who led the com- mittee from 1995 until his retirement in 2001), Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) convened the panel to hear testimony on the impor- tance of a connected network of rails, roads, and waterways to the nation’s economy. One of the witnesses was Democrat Ed-
ward “Fast Eddie” Rendell, former governor of Shuster’s home state. Rendell warned the lawmakers that without an overall vision for the nation’s transportation system, it would be dysfunctional. “America’s transportation infrastructure would resemble a patchwork of disconnected roads and rails,” he warned. “Our aviation system would be untenable; goods movement would be greatly hindered; and the electric grid would be a disconnected system in each of the 50 states. And all of this would cost businesses and consumers billions of dollars.” It was like old times for this reporter. I once did a radio interview with a young man who had a grand plan for a fully intercon- nected transportation system in the U.S. He had figured it out in some detail. A few days later, that six-term congressman was select- ed for a cabinet post. The year was 1976. His name was Brock Adams, and he was about to become Transportation Secretary in the ad- ministration of the newly elected President Jimmy Carter.
A few years later, I interviewed another
older, but every bit as energetic, gentleman who envisioned an “Interstate 2,” a railroad version of Ike’s original highway Interstate. His name is Gil Carmichael, Federal Rail- road Administrator in the 1989-1993 admin- istration of George H.W. Bush. He’s now back in his home state of Mississippi and still promoting Interstate 2.
My point in this reminiscence is to note
that though Washington attracts a lot of brilliant people with incredibly good ideas, it seems the more things change, the more they — well, you know the rest.
Crude Up, Coal Down But Still Strong The shale/fracking boom has contributed mightily to 2012 surge in crude oil hauled by America’s freight railroads — more than
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