[ragingrobot]

We lag behind Europe and Russia on other things as well.

I wasn't trying in any way to bury my head in the sand, I know for sure things can be better.

I opined looking from inside and knowing maintenance. I have seen bent track spikes and bolts reused (on mainline track!), rotten ties ignored, tracks sitting on ballast with nothing securing them. I have witnessed for years at a facility where the tracks had spread wider than gauge due to rotted wooden ties, and the solution was "just go real slow," in order to avoid shutting down the track and doing proper repairs.