The History Of Trains And Their Role On The Environment
The United States government made good use of the trains during the Civil War to move troops to new locations and to get them supplies. This was the main reason behind adding more miles of railroad tracks from 1861 to 1865. By the end of the war there were more than 30,000 miles of track available.
Repairs on trains that were done were the result of the United States government needing to repair them in order to move men and supplies during World War I. Even so, the growth of the railroad is significantly slowed forever around 1940. The Great Depression has made it difficult for the railroads to survive. There is also competition now with automobiles being manufactured.
Yet the railroad industry sees renewed life in the late 1950′s when the retired steam powered locomotives and replace them with diesel engines. In 1970 the United States government steps in again to take control of Amtrak. They still oversee it today but most of the miles of track that they operate on belong to other railway companies.
The environments role
While trains do offer a necessary service because they haul materials and people, there are plenty of concerns about the damages they do to the environment. As with any other type of industry, there seems to be controversy about where to draw the line. People in society definitely want the benefits that come with trains transporting goods and people but are they willing to sacrifice the quality of the air they breath in order to have it?
Trains consume large amounts of natural resources that can’t be replaced. This is a concern because so many trains are in operation each day. Alternatives for creating the necessary energy are being evaluated. Some of the commuter trains in many cities operate on electricity instead of diesel fuel. While this helps reduce the amount of pollution in the air, it still depletes the natural resources we have available.
It is important to understand that it takes time to develop such changes though. Research has to be conducted to measure the actual benefits that will be offered. The research is very expensive and implementing the changes is expensive as well. The railways struggle to offer low prices for passengers as well as hauling freight, but as their own expenses continue to increase with efforts to protect the environment a large portion of those expenses will be trickling down.
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