Railroads are more about political power than economic


Railroads were the engines of progress and transformation throughout the Industrial Revolution. Today, many countries continue using rail systems for both shipping and travel. Yet politics is just as much a part of railroads today as it was in the 1800s.

Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan says that whoever gains control over vital railway systems similarly gains influence over the communities which depend on those systems. For all of their economic advantages, Zeihan argues, the truest advantages of railroads are political.

Excerpted from Peter’s Sept. 20 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:

Today’s video comes to you from Needle’s Eye Tunnel on the Rollins Pass Railroad.

My walk along the railroad tracks inspired some pondering on why rail gets such a bad rap. Yeah, I know it’s not as fast as planes OR as versatile as vehicles OR as cheap as water…but that doesn’t mean there’s no place for it.

The rail conversation comes down to is where and how it is used – i.e., don’t send trains up and over huge mountain passes like the one I’m on. However, most rail lines aren’t really built for “economic” reasons; instead, they are used to project political power over large swaths of land. The U.S. did this with the transcontinental railroad, and the CCP is still doing it today.

While rail might be the redheaded stepchild of the transport industry, it is still very much an integral part of the family.