>>1053970Problem is that it's not how cargo is moved. Logistics networks are based around land-intensive industrial facilities (a thing made possible due to electric power) which rely on railroads for hub-to-hub trunk transport and semi trucks for last mile delivery. Meanwhile, cities adjusted to this by instituting zoning laws, forcing industrial operations to move out of cities which were expected to be commercial and residential. During this process, the entire idea of stopping a train in the middle of the street and unloading cargo for nearby businesses became absurd. Semi truck drivers already have this problem in many states and cities, where they must use a desginated loading dock or green zone otherwise they get ticketed for blocking the street.
That said, it's not impossible. Over the next 50 years as road tolling becomes more common I expect freight RRs to offer more "local" service, for smaller and smaller businesses. Perhaps they could do roro service for delivery vans (allowing hub facilities to be located outside of the metro area) or offer cheaper 25' and 10' container services.
