Quote:
Originally Posted by ardecila
It's worth noting that the FRA is not the problem, per se. The FRA simply passes regulations that mirror the best judgment of American railroading, which is grounded in a 1900-era rugged-individual mentality and a fierce resistance to change and new ideas from outside. That railroading community is mainly split between freight-railroad people who are resistant to any passenger rail that restricts the use of their tracks, and railfans (there's a revolving door between fandom and the industry) who are motivated by nostalgia.
C'mon - you come from Philly! The FRA isn't the reason why SEPTA is de-regionalizing the rail network; the FRA is merely a symptom of the wider problem.
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A hell of a feedback loop, isn't it?
But from what I hear, the FRA is just plain rogue. Let's see, while the regulations in the main are tailored toward bulk freight transport, we have regulations the freight companies don't like (like putting an F on all engines), regulations the mass transit companies don't like, and a tendency to shoot the messenger (in the most recent case, the Strasburg Railroad). Systemic Failure pointed out that none of the actual railroad companies had any real say in the latest round of regulations--
only the unions.
It looks entrenched, but I think it's the weak point. It's what has to give to see real passenger rail investment in this country.
Nexis--The Railroad.net forums beg to disagree. SEPTA is one of the busiest topics there.