[DoodleDawg]

Our trains run far slower and to far fewer cities and towns now than they ran in the 1920s!

Our airlines fly much faster and to far more cities and towns than they did in the 1920s. You don't suppose there's a correlation, do you?

[Olog-hai]

There hasn’t been a single modern airport (post-WWII) that has been built and operated purely by the private sector FWICS. At least the railroads, versus airports and roads, own their own infrastructure, except in the case of Amtrak (who owns about 500 miles of the rails they run on) and many state-owned commuter railroad systems.

[Vaquero]

I love flying. But I won’t put up with the hassle that is the barefoot grope fest that air travel check in has become( unless I absolutely positively have to get there overnight).

Not crazy about trains either. For the reasons you gave.

So I drive.

[Kenny Bunk]

Yabut how does one get to the town where the airplane lands? I have nothing against private automobiles, but there needs to be a train somewhere.

In France and England ... even Italy ... one can commute comfortably to a job one hundred miles away ... on a train. And for 5-600 mile trips, try the TGV ... city center to city center at 200+ mph .... better than overall elapsed time and bother of flying.

Of course, Euro trains are heavily subsidized, etc. etc/