Bold textSuggestion for solving the high cost of fuel. One fact eludes the majority of our population, the real cost of transportation. It is an established fact that the cheapest way to transport goods is via water, followed by rail, truck & air. Every major city east of the Mississippi, with the exception of Indianoplis if foounded on a naviable waterway. Barge service does require a minimum of 1200 tons per barge and to the best of my knowledge consolidators do not use this method. The real point I wish to make is that the best method acvailable is rail transportation. The simple fact is that a rail car can move one ton of freight 420 miles on one gallon of fuel. The average box car handles twice the weight and volume of a standard 40ft truck trailer. Most trains are made up of 100 cars, which means that replaces 200 tractor/trailwers & drivers. A train of that size requires at least 4 men. We will need to bring the rail beds up to an acceptable level, but they are already there. The roadways would be less congested and require less maintance. There will always be a need for over-the-road trucker drivers, those not so engaged could work on a more local level ie; cartage,rail depots, traffic management, etc. The fuel to be consumed is greatly reduced and our dependance of foreign oil and it's politics would change also. A Diesel electrolocomotive engine is a marvel of productivity second only to wind & steam. Fifty years in all forms of transportation concludes the value of this observation.

Thosknapp@aol.com