MultiGeometry t1_ja6aq8k wrote on February 27, 2023 at 3:53 AM

Reply to comment by Total_Customer_6627 in Shipments of contaminated waste to resume from Ohio train derailment site by WhoIsJolyonWest

Whenever you hear someone try to make an excuse for the train industry, just remember how many flights there are in this country on a daily basis, and the rarity of airplane crashes that occur. Safety is not impossible. We can hold the rail industry to higher standards. I hope we do.

ravensteel539 t1_ja73tow wrote on February 27, 2023 at 9:34 AM

What’s so sad is that compared to a lot of other commercial transportation (air, trucking, shipping boats, etc.), rail transport CAN be one of the safest and most environmentally conscious mediums. That’s unfortunately contingent on holding the rail industry to a high standard of safety and properly maintaining the associated infrastructure — both of which have been ignored and excused in an effort to cut costs. Even the standards of workplace safety are drastically under par from an OSHAA standpoint, as we’ve been hearing about this year.

unique_passive t1_ja71jmo wrote on February 27, 2023 at 9:01 AM

Strict federal guidelines on rail keep entire countries and economies functioning. The EU would be a mess without good rail. Rail was one of, if not the primary reason that Australia even decided to form a federation in the first place.

The US having a failing railway system is a sign that its infrastructure is that of a second-world nation.

MmmmMorphine t1_ja7bgmc wrote on February 27, 2023 at 11:22 AM

That's not fair, our bridges totally collapse more often than that

dofffman t1_ja7ml4x wrote on February 27, 2023 at 1:20 PM

this is true and one of the reasons the soviets have had trouble both now and historically.