So after the train derails then you replace track?

The us Olympic team is funded by donations not the Government. But Amtrak on the other hand…

Oblamer, you're making yourself look ridiculous with those posts. Especially in light of Romney's comment to the olympians that they didn't do THAT by themselves.

“You Olympians, however, know you didn’t get here solely on your own power."

A minimum of one flagger for each direction of traffic is a requirement under the CFR. It's probably one of those crazy "safety" ideas that keeps people from getting "maimed" or "killed". But what do I know? Maybe that never happens on a railroad.

While I have never worked on a railroad, my uncle has for many years. Him and all his co-workers have the egg shaped physiques to prove it. :)

belisamasana is correct. they are flaggers watching the intersections. I understand somewhat the need for them, but think they could be incorporated more into the "active" duty of the process. I ran by them on both my morning and evening runs. Same two guys, same "leaning on a pole" stance. Of course that is just what I see. There is no need to turn off my a/c, for I don't have a/c.

This is a railway repair, not roadway, so I don't think flaggers are really pertinent to this story... Workers ride on special cars that can pull out and insert new railroad ties.. I'm not thinking there is 2 out of 3 workers just standing around. Even if there are workers standing around, with heat like we've had this summer they are probably just taking a break to cool down, which if you've had a job that you're outside working 100% of the time, you know that this is a necessary thing to do. Shut you A/C off for a day Saxcat and we will see how productive you are for a day.

belisa ....too many drivers think everyone else has to watch out for them, they are #1 and have all the right-of-way !!!

Saxcat70, if you're talking about the flaggers, you are absolutely wrong. I've seen the way people drive around here and they definitely need three flaggers to control the intersections or there will be an accident. It's for their protection and ours. My friend is a road construction flagger and they have near misses every day because people think the huge orange signs don't pertain to them. She's had people pull out of a line and head into oncoming traffic vs. a semi, and cars and trucks go into ditches to avoid hitting the paver. Everyone is in such a hurry and that puts everyone in danger.

They could cut the cost significantly if they didn't have 2 out of 3 people standing doing virtually nothing all day.

Well, the project is probably not point-to-point, but rather the trackage included within the Janesville district, or whatever it's called. This would thus incorporate any spurs or multiple-track segments, possibly including the rail yard itself. Easily 43 miles of track.

its 43 miles from janesville to evansville, because they get stuck going around and around, at the roundhouse, in janesville.

When did it become 43 miles to go from Eville to Jville by rail????