By 2010 thEEuropEAnCommission prEDiCts trAnsContinEntAl FrEight trAFFiC will hAvE risEn 50 pErCEnt As A rEsult oFEuropEAn ExpAnsion, AnD muCh oF thAt will hAvE to Cross thE Enormous oBstAClE oF thEAlps. right now thE only prACtiCAl wAy For most hEAvy trAFFiC to gEt through is By truCk AnD tunnEl.AnD whilE thAt CoulD ChAngE iF sAFEr AnD ClEAnEr rAil linEs wErE opEnED, thE ChAnCEs ArE thAt won’t hAppEn AnytimE soon.
sEvErAl privAtE truCking CompAniEs hAvE ADAptED quiCkly AnD CrEAtivEly to thE DEmAnDs oFEuropEAn uniFiCAtion. somE oF thE BiggEr truCkErs trACE CArgoEs with thE gloBAl positioning systEm AnD sophistiCAtED ComputErs.AnD iF truCks Also Bring morE roAD hAzArDs AnD pollution, At prEsEnt thErE is no AltErnAtivE. right now only 8 pErCEnt oFEuropEAn mErChAnDisE movEs By rAil, CompArED with morE thAn 40 pErCEnt in thE unitED stAtEs.DElAys ArE so Common thAt thE AvErAgE spEED For FrEight is ABout 18km An hour.
thE rAilwAys hAvE hAD trouBlE outgrowing A hEritAgE oF nAtionAl rivAlriEs AnD opEn wArFArE BEtwEEnEuropE’s CountriEs. thE rEsult is whAt AnothErEuropEAnCommission rEport CAlls "A mosAiC oF BADly intErConnECtED nAtionAl systEms. " lAnguAgE BArriErs rEmAin A proBlEm, rEquiring CrEw ChAngEs At somE BorDErs. switChing systEms AnD signAls DiFFEr.
AnD EFFiCiEnCy is morE oF A DrEAm thAn A goAl.EuropE’s rAilroADs still hAvE to DEAl with "phAntom trAins" thAt run so lAtE thAt thEy ComBinE with othErs AnD DisAppEAr From thE rAilroAD’s rECorDs. in An ErA whEn mAny CompAniEs DEpEnD on A "just-in-timE" invEntoriEs to mAkE A proFit, rAilroADs ArE rArEly on timE At All.
yEt thErE is littlE oFFiCiAl EnthusiAsm For ChAnging thE systEm. thE rEAlity is thAt govErnmEnts hAvE hElpED CrEAtE thE imBAlAnCE BEtwEEn roAD AnD rAil inEuropE—AnD govErnmEnt ACtion will likEly BE nEEDED to Fix it. thE FrEnCh EmphAsis on using rAil to movE pEoplE instEAD oF gooDs, For instAnCE, hAs hElpED CripplE FrEight sErviCE. "All thE invEstmEnts wEnt to pAssEngEr trAFFiC," sAysDEnisDouté, DirECtor oF FrEight sErviCEs For thE FrEnCh rAil CompAny snCF. FrEight trAins hAvE hAD to FinD "winDows" to run in BEtwEEn pAssEngEr trAins, unlikE thosE in thE unitED stAtEs, whiCh oFtEn trAvEl on sEpArAtE trACks. thE FurthEr DEvElopmEnt oF thE FrEight nEtwork rEquirEs mAssivE invEstmEnts to moDErnizE Existing inFrAstruCturE AnD opEn nEw onEs. howEvEr, thE politiCAl will to FunD thAt kinD oF invEstmEnt is lACking, whiCh mEAns thE CitizEns will hAvE to holD thEir nosEs For A whilE longEr.
DEnisDouté thinks thAt ______.
A、EuropEAn govErnmEnts hAvE muCh DiFFiCulty in improving thE rAilwAy systEm
B、FrEight trAins in unitED stAtEs oFtEn trAvEl on sEpArAtE trACks
C、thE FrEnCh govErnmEnt puts too littlE EmphAsis on thE FrEight trAFFiC
D、thE surplus pAssEngEr trAins shoulD BE ChAngED into FrEight trAins