Quote:
Originally Posted by Tron_fdc
I do railway work for BNSF, and I don't think people grasp how quickly they can get lines back up and running. If we have a rail switch (turnout) failure you are talking hours to remove and replace it. Modular switches are stockpiled all over the USA for that reason, and the mainline is no different.
That said, the mainline is a different animal, but railways have equipment and supplies ready to move the instant something goes down. I've seen a washed out bridge repaired in a few days, including ballast and track. Granted this was the USA, but I don't feel CP or CN would operate any differently.
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I will always be pessimistic and I hope I'm wrong then. But large swathes missing from a line, and odds are in remote areas where one has to be fixed before you get to the next.... it just seems daunting and much worse than just surface rail/switch replacement. Especially when bridge supports are undermined. I think back to the bridge over the bow heading into the Ogden yard that had an undermined pier as a result of the 2013 floods. That took ages to get going before they were running trains over it again.
If they can do it within a week, then I'll be damn impressed. Perhaps the motivation is greater this time since well... there is no profit if you can't run.