American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association | 9 want to see happen in that intervening time? MEARS: I think that we just want to continue going onward and upward, try to make it possible for all railroads to become members, make sure we serve them with a great variety 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 everything 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 automatically 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 requirement, 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 movement of these holding companies to acquire more railroads, because the short lines and regionals are turning out to be a good investment 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 repairs and just everybody healthier.
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