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Surface Transportation Board approves proposal to rebuild abandoned, rail-banked lines
Good to see the trail use is not permanent
Environmental anything is a waste where tracks recently existed. How many things does the environment stand in the way of these days?!
Why did this require a hearing? This is exactly why rail-banking was created, if and when a need develops the track can be re-used.
There is a bit of hope on ‘rails-to-trails’ ROWs. Not much, but…
About time. Those rails to trails fools are fanatical to the point of where once the track is lifted, there is no hope of track in the future to serve future industry. To add insult to injury, we the taxpayer are funding the rails to trails with our fuel taxes.
As for the environ-mental studies, why? There was track not that long ago. The track is going back in. What is there to study? Environ-mental studies are nothing more than big government excuses to keep departments of taxpayer dollar waste, fraud, and abuse.
It’s so good that we’re starting to see news items like this one instead off just a steady stream of notices of abandonment.
We need a few NIMBYs to stage a hunger strike!
It didn’t sound as though it was a very lengthy hearing process, and there was no mention of any opposition from the operators of the rail trail. Seems as though the process worked just as it should.
Is want to thank Jerry Guse from IL with his expressed view of what we the taxpayers and the railroad industry are suffering from. TOO MUCH ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATORY NONSENSE AND TOO MUCH “LAWYERING” just what the Obamunists enjoy!!
Re Lampman’s comment: part of the line was railbanked, and did not requite STB approval. Part of it was abandoned, not rail banked. Rebuilding on this part of the route needed approval.
Rails to trails is a good “temporary” way to preserve these right-of-ways, especially in inner citiies where they may have potential for light rail as well as rural areas for restoring freight service in bringing new use for once abandoned industrial and agricultural facilities back to life.My experience as a truck driver shows that too many of our roads are too congested and relying on a single mode for transportation is not the answer. Shippers are trying to save on costs and it helps to intermodalize in the transportation of both passengers and freight. Too many of our highways are in poor shape not because of spending on bike paths, but way too much of that money is spend on building new roads while the ongoing needs for maintenance of the current infrastructure are being shoved on the back burner.Finding a reuse for exisiting infrastructure is helpful, it can help preserve some history, and be offered as a feasible economic alternative.