[tamcap]

"another major beneficiary would be the environment, specifically when operating in urban centers"

But you see, they don't care. If there is no incentive for them to do it, why would they? Good neighborhood-will will pay for a donation to a local charity cause, etc, but will not make meaningful expensive changes to the SOP.

Ideally this is the point where a regulator (of some kind) steps in and nudges the change. We all know what the political problems behind that are - despite mounting evidence of how damaging diesel exhaust particles are to us, and our children.

[ethagknight]

You are correct, i started to make the point that the environmental argument is probably the best way for legislation to coerce Railroads to modernize where it makes sense. Rather than paint the Railroads as baddies, makes more sense to approach the narrative collaboratively, that technology and some thoughtful complexity could help them save a lot of money and save our lungs along the way.