The State of Colorado Has Enacted a Statute Limiting the Size

Essay

The state of Colorado has enacted a statute limiting the size of freight trains entering the state to no more than 80 cars other than the locomotive(s) and the caboose. Assume that there is no federal law mandating a maximum limit of cars, and further assume that freight trains frequently consist of over 100 cars. Colorado has justified the law by saying that shorter trains are safer, but the state's evidence is not persuasive. Colorado also claims that very long trains inconvenience drivers and can cause major traffic jams. Trains longer than 80 cars must stop and reduce their size, employing additional locomotives to transport the cars through the state to the border, where they may again recouple and proceed. Discuss the validity or invalidity of this law.