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Re:An old rail track in Northern California could become a 3... by lightedman on Monday April 15, 2024 @04:44PM (#40045332)
"The graded space for the rails already exists, and that is arguably the hardest part of building a railway."

It's way easier to build this sort of thing new than it is to refurbish it and certify it as safe. Less costly, too.

Re:An old rail track in Northern California could become a 3... by dheera on Tuesday April 16, 2024 @06:44PM (#40058226)
I disagree. Would you rather dig up trees, rocks, and mountains, and grade it, or dig up existing rail?

You're going to lay down new rail either way, and that's what you'll have to certify as safe, so it's not really any different. I'm just saying there's less crap you have to dig up if your starting point is an already-cleared 300 mile stretch rather than 300 miles of raw nature.