THE ECONOMICS OF UPGRADING SEVENTY-ONE BRANCH RAIL LINES IN IOWA

Proposed abandonment of branch lines in rural areas has stimulated concern over the impact on shippers, receivers and rural communities. This paper presents estimates of the benefits and the costs of upgrading 71 branch lines. The benefit-cost analysis is used to compare the net benefits with net costs of upgrading the lines. Separate models are utilized to estimate the benefits to grain shippers, fertilizer shippers, and the shippers and receivers of all other products, from the upgrading. Benefit-cost ratios are presented for six alternative solutions.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00029092
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This article is also available as Journal Paper No. J-8476 (Project No. 2016) of the Iowa Agricultural and Home Economics Experiment Station, Iowa State University, Ames, 50010. See also article on 4R Act's local rail assistance by authors in Logistics and Transportation Review, V12 N5, RRIS 25 152674 7702.
• Corporate Authors:

  American Agricultural Economics Association

  Department of Agricultural Economics, Kentucky University
  Lexington, KY  United States  40506
• Authors:
  • Baumel, C P
  • Miller, J J
  • Drinka, T P
• Publication Date: 1977-2

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 61-70
• Serial:
  • American Journal of Agricultural Economics
  • Volume: 59
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: American Agricultural Economics Association
  • ISSN: 0002-9092

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Branch lines; Decision making; Economic analysis; Fertilizers; Financing; Forecasting; Freight traffic; Government funding; Grain; Maintenance of way; State government; Traffic forecasting
• Uncontrolled Terms: Grain trade
• Geographic Terms: Iowa
• Subject Areas: Economics; Finance; Freight Transportation; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00152654
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: American Journal of Agricultural Economics
• Report/Paper Numbers: Reprint
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 31 1977 12:00AM