I’ll give this a great big, “DUH!!!!!”
China builds a 120 MPH frieght railway to it’s interior, while we tear up track for “Walking Paths”...
We spend BILLIONS to rebuild a single interchange, instead of spending less than the yearly interest payment to help start up a rail service on existing track that would relieve the traffic that requires the rebuild in the first place.
We build HUGE, monsterous sky palaces while small city after small city drops off the air service network.
Infrastructure isn’t nearly as politicly sexy as a Senior Center, or a pretty and new Forest Service Welcome Center that they can’t afford to staff.
Our priorities have been screwed up for a LONG time now...
Well said....
Shedding some illegals could help lighten the load on the infrastructure...
While I can’t speak for other areas, the unused track around here doesn’t go anywhere useful.
Most of the unused track goes to empty, century-old factory buildings and past subdivisions that were once farms. The track next to the subdivisions was used to move grain to market — grain that is no longer being grown on what are now single family lots.
Some of the tracks were from the interurban commuter rail system, a line that was obsolete in the 1950’s and failed after a catastrophic crash that killed many people.
Beyond that, the old lines would have to be completely rebuilt to carry trains. The rails are old, the ties are rotted and the roadbed isn’t secure.
Rebuilding a rail system in the US to move people and cargo off the highways would require massive use of eminent domain, huge expenditures and restrictive zoning laws to prevent development in areas away from rail service.