MARC MY

WORDS

Another www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!!!

One more thing I'd like to add to the list of reasons why MARC commuter rail would be a better alternative to light rail for the Purple Line and Corridor Cities Transitway:

Remember my comparison of the cost, efficiency, all-weather capability and lifespan of diesel locomotives vs. light rail? (Diesel won all categories, by the way).

Those older, cheaper locomotives can also be modified to run on alternative fuels, including waste vegetable oil.

Which makes them more "green" than light rail, which runs on what the "green" people always tell us is "dirty" energy: electricity generated by coal-burning power plants.

I'm not anti-coal; in fact, it is the most affordable and efficient source of electricity. And it employs Americans, unlike the Chinese-made mercury light bulbs and Chinese-made nuclear reactors that our "green" politicians are promoting/mandating today.

But the classic American locomotives are actually more "green" than "light" rail! Who knew?