单选题
In every major city in America, commuters are spending more and more time in their cars fighting traffic. The Texas Transportation Institute recently reported that the average commuter spends an extra 46 hours--more than a full workweek--each year caught in traffic. A major source of the congestion is freight trucks. One large truck takes up the space of almost four cars, and the average truck is becoming longer, with more use of double-and triple-trailers. Increases in truck volume, obviously, add to commuting problems, and according to the U. S. Department of Transportation, freight volume is expected to increase by two-thirds over the next 20 years. One proposed solution--building new roads--is expensive and politically contentious. But there's another way: greater use of freight rail. One freight train can carry the cargo of 500 trucks, and one intermodal train can carry nearly 300 truck trailers. Trucking companies and railroads already are forming intermodal partnerships that combine the best of both kinds of transportation. In an urban area like New York, shifting 25% of freight from trucks to freight trains by the year 2025 would reduce drivers' commuting time by 52.9 hours. In addition, such a shift would save $734 per household in annual congestion costs. Shifting freight from road to rail also helps the environment. Freight rail is more fuel-efficient per ton-mile than trucks. And it reduces drivers' fuel consumption by decreasing the time they spend idling in traffic. By 2025, commuters in New York could save 254 gallons of fuel with a 25% shift of freight from truck to rail. Air pollution levels also would improve with an increase in the use of freight rail. For instance, that same 25% shift to rail by 2025 would decrease air pollutants New York by as much as 79,500 tons. To carry out these changes, the freight rail industry will need more capacity, but that depends on return on investments. Because railroads are not meeting their cost of capital, government policymakers may want to consider investment incentives to help meet the growing demand for freight rail. This would enable freight railroads to provide convenient, on-time, quality service to shippers and boost their share of freight transport. It is hard to imagine a less costly or more effective strategy for reducing traffic congestion.
单选题
In the last 2nd paragraph, the basic problem with the freight rail industry is that ______ .