DEVELOPING LOCAL STRATEGIES AS ALTERNATIVES TO ABANDONMENT OF LIGHT DENSITY RAILROAD LINES

The report provides technical documentation of the research methodology which was developed and employed in order to produce a manual entitled 'Handbook for Preservation of Local Railroad Service'. That document is intended to assist shippers, local and state governmental units, and planners, in their efforts to maintain Class I branch line service or investigate shortline railroad alternatives to such Class I branch line service. Approaches which were considered are grouped generally into two categories: Those which are designed to assure the continuation of currently existing service; and those which will result in a newly-formed independent railroad operation. Discussions of each specific alternative are enhanced by the provisions of case study information where appropriate, and a variety of ideas are presented which relate to the economics of light density rail line operations. In addition, the Handbook provides its readers with a rather unique method for the estimation of railway operating costs which are relevant to the independent railroad alternative.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • See also report dated Jan 77, PB-272 458.
• Corporate Authors:

  Southeastern Transportation Center

  University of Tennessee
  309 Conference Center Building
  Knoxville, TN  United States  37996-4133

  Department of Transportation

  Office of University Research, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • PATTON, E P
  • Langley, C J
• Publication Date: 1977-3

Media Info

• Pagination: 318 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Abandonment; Branch lines; Economic impacts; Freight transportation; Handbooks; Level of service; Operating costs; Planning; Policy; Railroad transportation; Railroads; Short line railroads; Socioeconomic factors; State departments of transportation; State government; Subsidies; Traffic managers; Transportation operations
• Uncontrolled Terms: Services; Shippers; Transportation management
• Old TRIS Terms: Cargo transportation; Government policies; Short line
• Subject Areas: Economics; Freight Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Railroads; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00167390
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT/TST-77/71 Final Rpt., TC-76-022
• Contract Numbers: DOT-OS-50125
• Files: NTIS, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Dec 27 1978 12:00AM