Ronald E. Lawless

Railways have been a factor on the industrial scene for so long that it is easy to ignore the fundamental advantages they offer in the transportation of massive volumes of goods over long distances. The author contends that the original strengths of the railway concept may prove to be even greater strengths in the context of emerging social, environmental, and economic conditions. But to capitalize fully on these strengths, legislators and regulators, the public at large, and railway people themselves must recognize that the railways' role has changed and that short-sighted regulation based on misconception could rob society of a transportation mode vital to its prosperity in the future.