Re:How Do Animals Safely Cross a Highway?
by throwaway0a5e on Tuesday June 01, 2021 @11:21AM
(#27355795)
>but the equivalent number of trains interrupt the landscape less
It's not so cut and clear. Anywhere that isn't super flat you're going to need to cut into and build on top of the landscape a ton because of the low maximum grade inherent to steel wheels on steel rails. This comes with retaining walls, runoff control and all the other features required to keep the landscape from quickly reclaiming the rail bed. These features have impact on the surrounding ecosystems but less visibly than roadkill.
Re:How Do Animals Safely Cross a Highway?
by bombcar on Tuesday June 01, 2021 @11:44AM
(#27356307)
That's a good point - it'd be interesting to see what percentage of railway is "navigable" by wildlife vs blocked - even in the mountains the railways often follow riverbeds or cuts alongside mountains.
It's not so cut and clear. Anywhere that isn't super flat you're going to need to cut into and build on top of the landscape a ton because of the low maximum grade inherent to steel wheels on steel rails. This comes with retaining walls, runoff control and all the other features required to keep the landscape from quickly reclaiming the rail bed. These features have impact on the surrounding ecosystems but less visibly than roadkill.