I may be wrong, but by comparison to planes and trucks, freight railroads seem to be low-margin businesses, specializing in hauling bulk, non-time-sensitive freight. Since freight trains are slow, freight railroads can't charge premium prices for speedy delivery.
With all of the emphasis on high(er) speed passenger trains, and government funds that are or could be available for high-speed rail infrastructure, why don't Class Is support construction of high-speed tracks for both freight and passenger trains (which would supplement, not replace, tracks currently used by freight trains)?
If HSR tracks were built in various places around the US, and if freight railroads could also use them for freight trains, wouldn't that open up a new business model for freight railroads: time-sensitive, high-margin freight?
What am I missing here? Yes, the cost of those tracks would be significant, and the operational costs of high-speed freight trains would be high, but so would the revenues. (I know that a Class I couldn't operate 100-car freight trains at 180 mph; if high-speed freight trains existed, I'd expect them to be maybe 20 cars long, using equipment built specially for HSR operation, which could be unlike any current freight trains.) I wouldn't expect Class Is to be able to pay for miles of 180-mph track, but surely the lobbying power of Class Is, combined with some governments' emphasis on HSR passenger trains, could result in government funds for construction.
Thoughts?
With all of the emphasis on high(er) speed passenger trains, and government funds that are or could be available for high-speed rail infrastructure, why don't Class Is support construction of high-speed tracks for both freight and passenger trains (which would supplement, not replace, tracks currently used by freight trains)?
If HSR tracks were built in various places around the US, and if freight railroads could also use them for freight trains, wouldn't that open up a new business model for freight railroads: time-sensitive, high-margin freight?
What am I missing here? Yes, the cost of those tracks would be significant, and the operational costs of high-speed freight trains would be high, but so would the revenues. (I know that a Class I couldn't operate 100-car freight trains at 180 mph; if high-speed freight trains existed, I'd expect them to be maybe 20 cars long, using equipment built specially for HSR operation, which could be unlike any current freight trains.) I wouldn't expect Class Is to be able to pay for miles of 180-mph track, but surely the lobbying power of Class Is, combined with some governments' emphasis on HSR passenger trains, could result in government funds for construction.
Thoughts?