Ain’t the government grand? Used to be a shorter rail route from New York to Atlantic City through the Pine Barrens. They let Conrail (the government-owned freight railroad) abandon that.
There were trains coming in and out of Philly fifty miles north for people going to work 40 years ago, then slowly they stopped and the railroad stations were sold for restaurants etc.
There were 7 or 8 cities with electric trolleys, and in the 1940s. General Motors gave them good deals on diesel buses, and the infrastructure went to hell, no upkeep. The only one I know operating now is Dayton, Ohio, who maintained their infrastructure. To build that infrastructure now is not cost effective, nor could any of those places afford it.
That was clean, cheap, public transportation. The idiots from the other cities sold their trolleys to Canadian cities, and took the polluting bus deals.
America does have a lot of idiots....and I guess that stupidity was passed down. The real deal would have been finding a way to streamline trains....we see them now as trams in major cities, or Disney World. Just think what a great system could have been built in the prosperity age...not many long range planners back then. No infrastructure then, means now it’s unaffordable now.
I remember Conrail, don’t remember the AC line. Too young for that. It’s only recently that the train to AC is direct — you used to have to switch in Philly. Makes those coach buses, which seem to leave from every neighborhood cheap and convenient.
yes and passenger trains all carried people to shore points in NJ. almost every older shore town still has a train station. I think some of the railroad infrastructure got beat to death by military use during WW2 and the car took off afterward leaving trains behind.