[Leaning Right]

I’m just throwing this out here.

Back when I was a young man, there was a passenger train station in a small town maybe 15 minutes from my house. Trains stopped there all the time.

That station is long gone. So if I want to take a train now, I’ve got to drive to a nearby big-city, try to find a parking space, then catch a 3:20 AM train.

No thanks.

And I don’t see how fancy new trains will make any difference.

[unread]

"I don’t see how fancy new trains will make any difference."

Yeah, train travel in the US is a total bust.

In 1966 I took a train from Cincinnati to El Paso. It wasn't hard to do. I don't know how or where one would need to go to accomplish such a feat nowadays.

And who knows how many different directions you would find yourself going in just to get from A to B..

[dljordan]

I wanted to take a train from Denver to Nashville. I had to go to Chicago, to DC then to Dyersburg, TN. I didn’t book it.

[Dr. Franklin]

I’m just throwing this out here.
Back when I was a young man, there was a passenger train station in a small town maybe 15 minutes from my house. Trains stopped there all the time.
That station is long gone. So if I want to take a train now, I’ve got to drive to a nearby big-city, try to find a parking space, then catch a 3:20 AM train.
No thanks.
And I don’t see how fancy new trains will make any difference.

The days of trains with sleeper cars is gone here in the U.S., but still exists in Europe. If the train ticket is cheaper than the cost of a hotel room and flight, it makes sense for a traveler, although could mean sharing a compartment with strangers. Rail lines connecting to airports is under developed in the U.S., especially in the Northeast. A direct train line between JFK and Newark EWR would enable more options for connecting flights, but doesn't yet exist. At rush hour, trains don't usually get stuck in traffic absent maintenance to the rail line, and can handle baggage easier than buses.