American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association | 9
want to see happen in that intervening time?
MEARS:
I think that we just want to con-
tinue going onward and upward, try to make
it possible for all railroads to become mem-
bers, make sure we serve them with a great va-
riety of tools and helpfulness for their needs,
and I think as well, see to it that the interests
we have on the national level are reflected in
good policy and that we continue to do ev-
erything that we can to help railroads provide
the basis for continuing to help prosper the
American economy.
BW: Is there anything about the industry
that you see changing?Will it just be what it
is now five years down the road, or are there
drastic game-changers on the way?
MEARS:
Now, that’s a good question. The
bigger railroads are dealing with positive train
control, or when the trains would be automat-
ically stopped or started. That is a bigger issue
for the bigger railroads than it is for us. That’s
a $20 billion unfunded mandate that they’re
all having to go through to meet a require-
ment, even to the point of having to develop
new technologies. That has probably been
the biggest challenge for the big railroads. In
terms of going five years down the road from
now, we’ll probably continue to see the move-
ment of these holding companies to acquire
more railroads, because the short lines and
regionals are turning out to be a good invest-
ment for them. But I see a continued strength
and I think we’ll be in good stead having this
conversation.
I think we’ll also see continued results
from the renewal of that short line tax credit,
which means better infrastructure, more re-
pairs and just everybody healthier.
