Article: Protecting Public Health and Global Transportation Systems During an Influenza Pandemic

[Amish Country]

Re: Article: Protecting Public Health and Global Transportation Systems During an Influenza Pandemic

With the containerized hospitals that are being shipped out by the military I have been wondering if any effort has gone into supplying these to more rural cities in the event of a pandemonic? These containers could be dropped off by a tracktor trailer. I was also thumbing thru the book The Great Influenza this morning and it mentioned that in 1918 railroad cars were outfitted as hospitals. These could be dropped off at siding where they were needed.

[Thomas Luke]

Re: Article: Protecting Public Health and Global Transportation Systems During an Influenza Pandemic

Amish Country: Medical clinics in containers have been produced and modular elements have been designed so that full service hospitals can be created. I know that General Electric is looking at such systems for emergency response.

[mixin]

Re: Article: Protecting Public Health and Global Transportation Systems During an Influenza Pandemic

Thomas Luke:

However, the ability to reach back through tiers of suppliers is accomplished by transportation - if it can't be moved, all efforts to reach back through the production chain is a worthless exercise.

Maybe transportation does a better job of coordination than manufacturing does? I worked for Coachmen Industries for 15 years and production was brought to a standstill many times due to shortages of one kind or another. We often ran out of chassis and frames, of all things.

In the train section from the DOT, one of the considerations was a crew being deadheaded in a quarantine zone. So if the railroads are working at a reduced capacity to begin with and lose even more crews in that manner, then those trains will be sitting with their products until someone becomes available. Anyone on the other end waiting for whatever the train is carrying then grinds to a standstill... and it continues on.

This really bothers me a lot and I hope you're able to find some time to delve into it a little deeper.

[gsgs]

Re: Article: Protecting Public Health and Global Transportation Systems During an Influenza Pandemic

trains for freight need little personnel and these are not so much
at risk from contacting viruses. I see no big problem here

[mixin]

Re: Article: Protecting Public Health and Global Transportation Systems During an Influenza Pandemic

Does it matter what the size of the crew is if the entire crew is unable to work?

And while their occupation doesn't subject them to disease, like doctors and nurses, they still have the same opportunity to contact the disease in their off-duty hours and ability to transport the disease hundreds of miles.

If the price of gas continues to rise and the trucking sector slows, railroads may play an even more important in the transportation of goods.

Passenger trains is another whole issue.

[gsgs]

Re: Article: Protecting Public Health and Global Transportation Systems During an Influenza Pandemic

you can always secure the workers using appropriate equipment.
See the military.
But it may be expensive, so a small working force is easier to protect.

[Giuseppe]

Re: Article: Protecting Public Health and Global Transportation Systems During an Influenza Pandemic

Railroads in the developed countries operate mostly by using electric devices and electronic equipment in order to rule the traffic (ie: turnouts lever are automated, signalling system, level crossing activity, traffic monitoring) and if a power failure hit the network all trains will suffer delays.

Further, most of the mainlines operate with single-track system and thus a bottleneck in a section results in the blockade of entire line.

Workers need to be deployed to manage tracks, signals, levers, turnouts, engine sheds, machines and thus an huge amount of workers are need daily for network reliability.

Most of freight railcars are parked at railyards and shunters need to sort and build a train correctly. If the railyards become congested, no further operations may be allowed.

Freight cars may contain chemicals, explosive materials, perishable goods and a delay in delivery could result in toxic leakages or decay of materials.

A comprehensive plan to maintain railroads operativity is warranted as the paper in discussion in this thread correctly explain.

[gsgs]

Re: Article: Protecting Public Health and Global Transportation Systems During an Influenza Pandemic

I assume they could use diesel-engines, when no electric power is available.
Not so many workers are required as for trucks

[Amish Country]

Re: Article: Protecting Public Health and Global Transportation Systems During an Influenza Pandemic

I assume they could use diesel-engines, when no electric power is available.
Not so many workers are required as for trucks

gsgs you may want to look up break bulk facilities for trucking companies. These are the buildings where freight from incoming trailers is sorted and repacked into outgoing containers (trailers) usually to its ultimate destination. Also trucks need clear safe roads to deliver their goods. With out road maintenance personnel this could be an issue. Trucks also need fuel and maintenance and people to drive them. There are a lot of people who go into insuring that each truck on the road gets its freight to its destination.

The containers received on trucks may have been initially packed in countries an ocean away and depend on container ships to deliver them to ports. These containers will probably need people to off and on load them and still more to manage them in storage and keep track of them before they are released to the truckers. Again still more people with specialized skill sets.