IMO the freight companies should be able to pay to build longer sidings if they need them, but they should have to pay for it.

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tschwimmer 6 days ago | parent | next [-]

They're not going to build a 4 mile siding, which is the length that many freight operate at. At that point it's like building a second set of tracks.

	▲	Wowfunhappy 6 days ago \| parent [-]
		Then don't build 4 mile trains. It needs to be possible for trains to pass each other.

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bluGill 6 days ago | parent | prev [-]

a lot of rail is 2 track so no sidings are needed.

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guappa 6 days ago | parent [-]

Because trains never go the other direction anyway.

	▲	bombcar 6 days ago \| parent [-]
		Dual track isn’t really a two way road, with signaling it ends up being infinite sidings, and is used almost more for passing than for two-way traffic - if it exists outside cities. Unfortunately much of the USA is single or effectively single tracked.