Ohio Freight Trains Will Create New Jobs

[Why?Town]

I just heard a radio commercial yesterday that stated, "Bad raillroad crossings kill good drivers".

First I laughed at the stupidity of that statement then I quit laughing when I thought about all the stupid people that actually believe it, especially those in government.

[Rick Rowlands]

This is written as if there has not been a huge investment in freight rail service already.  I dispute the figure of 7,800 jobs.  Are these temporary jobs or permanent jobs?  I don't consider a temporary job as something really worth getting too excited over.

BTW you aren't going to run a freight train on solar panels and wind turbines.

Also, Ohioans are not killed at rail crossings, Ohioans commit suicide at rail crossings.  Every (with very few exceptions) grade crossing accident is the result of a motorist failing to take precautions and failing to yield the right of way. A railroad crossing sign is the same as a yield sign, but for some reason is not treated with the same respect as a yield sign.  A flashing red light is the same as a flashing red at a highway intersection, or a stop sign.  But it is not respected as such.  When you have advanced warning signs, pavement markings, rumble strips, multiple flasjhing lights, physical barriers, bells, horn, bright headlights, flashing ditchlights etc. all working in unison to warn a motorist, and then the motorist still manages to get run down, then its certainly not the fault of the railroad that it happened!

[irishbobcat]

One of the by-products of investing in freight rail service according to All Aboard Ohio would be
to also upgrade rail crossings across the state.

Too many Ohioans are killed each year at rail crossings. By re-investing in rail, money could also be
funneled to upgrade rural and urban crossings.

[Towntalk]

I couldn't agree with you more Dennis. And while we're at it, there was a report yesterday that Ohio ranks 7th nationally on the matter of dangerous rail crossings

[irishbobcat]

Ohio Freight Trains Will Create New Jobs

Investments in America's freight rail system would create thousands of green jobs in Ohio, improve the country's infrastructure and reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil, according to a report released by the BlueGreen Alliance and the Economic Policy Institute. Congressman John Boccieri (D – Alliance) and local elected officials joined members of the United Steelworkers (USW), the Ohio Sierra Club, and Growth Options for the 21st Century (Go21) to highlight the significance of this report in Northeast Ohio.

The report shows that the expansion of freight rail in the U.S. can create approximately 7,800 green jobs for every $1 billion of capital invested and serves as a guide for policy makers on sustaining and expanding the domestic freight rail network.  If this is expanded to include re-spending by freight rail and supporting industry employees, between 12,300 and 26,600 American jobs would be created or sustained per $1 billion invested.

It's time we reinvest in improving freight rail lines across the buckeye state.