Ronald Reagan would have never traded our nuclear technology to the Chicoms.
Your buddies, the left and the greens that like light rail systems are the one's who won't allow nukes. Filing all those lawsuits to block stuff.
Wrong again, narby.
YOUR left-wing buddies prefer converting Rails-to-trails.
Now stuff your pinko tail between your legs and skidaddle.
That's insulting Willie.
I think they need to keep the rails and develop an even better rail container shipping system than they have now. There's a right of way in New Hampshire I know about they stripped of rail just in the last few years and made a trail out of it. Just a shame. Could have had a container "port" there, run trains through it quickly and pick and place the containers. Take over lots of over-the-road trucks.
Willie, I'm not against advances in transportation like I guess you think I am. It's just that they have to make sense, and rail travel for people just doesn't make sense. Maybe high speed long distance to replace airlines. But I've seen few proposals for that.
The reason urban light-rail is BS is because it has a huge achilies heel. At one or both ends, the person has to walk. That means you have to re-design cities to be high density. No thanks. The people have voted with their U-Hauls and now lots of them live with me in Phoenix where they can own some space.
There is one idea that I wish someone would propose. Build a commuter (or even long distance) train where you could drive your car right on board and stay in it. That means you don't have to re-design the entire city, because you can drive on both ends of the trip. Stops on the rail don't have to be as often, because the stations can be farther apart. You probably would not have to "change trains" in order to make the trip you want, because you'd have maybe 5-15 miles of practical range at the ends of the trip.
There would have to be some sacrifices. The cars would have to be specially built to ride the rails. They'd be small, perhaps Honda CRX sized, two passenger. Able to accept electric power from the train for air-conditioning, etc. so the engine didn't need to run. And it would have wireless technology to coordinate trips with the system.
To use the system, while your car was on the way to the station, the GPS would be able to determine when you were near, and automatically book a "slot" on the next train. When you drove into the station, a green light would tell you which "slot" to park into that faces the rails. There would be electric power, connected underneath when you drive up, and you'd shut down the engine. When the train pulls up, it stops with an empty train slot right in front of you, the system automatically loads your car the few feet on the train. Total time to load the whole train, maybe 25 seconds. Whoosh, you're off on your commute.
The whole time you can be on the net, on FR, having a good time. At your destination, the train unloads you on the opposite side from where you loaded, and you drive away.
How's that? Progressive enough?
Current light rail systems are simply a re-hashing of the 19th century. People were not stupid back then, and they abandoned rail and bus mass transit for cars for lots of good reasons. They will not go back, except for a few lefty greenies, as you think I am for some silly reason.
Big government supported light rail is a huge waste of money. Given the current choices, they should build more freeways until they're no longer clogged. They're objectivly a much better investment.