Posted on 02/16/2023 9:49:16 AM PST by Jeff Chandler
WWWG* say?
*What Would Willie Green
I remember Willie Green.
The airplane killed passenger service in this Nation.
It is obvious that you have never been on a train in China or India. That is a ride from HELL, I can tell you.
Ever hear a Shay climbing a mountain? I love ‘em.
I have ridden eastern corridor Boston to Orlando. Very diverse. Lots of crime. Stopped frequently to give criminal to police.
They weren’t in Germany around 1938 and on. If the lefties prevail, we might see those return. I go dibs on the crack near the door.
Good interstate busses are best and most comfortable. We have a privately owned North East bus company which wins very high grades. No one drives to Logan Airport any more. Bus service to a d from a terminals
The owners still have to give permission for trains to pass
My train-loving dad was 6’5”.
I am 5’10” woman.
I am actually shocked how spacious coach is on Amtrak.
Add to that, if your train is sparsely populated….you might go anywhere you want!
On my dad’s last trip from NE our family got on (regular train south; we had Acela north) just below Boston so it was empty, but we were heading to coach and a conductor just said, go ahead forward into our business class! It was even nicer than coach.
So things are also much more flexible on trains. Airplane, you get what you get. Likely horribly tight!
Unless you’re in Business Class, most airlines are flying Greyhound buses.
I thought party buses were the best and most comfortable.
i agree. I have ridden trains in the US and Europe. In both cases, if you have the time, a big IF in these angst-ridden days, riding the train beats flying.
What if the owners of the tracks also operated the passenger railroads, or were invested in those that did?
They would have a direct financial stake in making sure their trains ran on time.
I imagine a car load of human passengers would have MUCH higher revenue and profit than the bulk cargo they haul now.
Exactly.
No, freight was always more profitable. That’s part of why RRs started dropping passenger service.
You cannot fit too many paying customers into a car. However, you can fit a whole carload of valuable merchandise on one. So you can squeeze more revenue out of that freight than out of even a “full” passenger car. Never mind the condition the cars must be in. Minimal for freight, maximum for live human customers.
whereas European railways were mostly created to move large amounts of people between densely populated cities.
Not really. European railroads were built to move armies to the borders.
American railways were also built on a wider gauge (the distance between the rails),
Wrong. Everyone in Europe and N. America but the Russians use the same gauge. This article is wrong on a lot of facts.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.