Trains. What is the fascination?

[Handbag Lady]

I love the train. We take it from Burbank to San Diego and it is so pleasant. There are sections when it goes right by the ocean; so close, that we wave to people in swimsuits.

I also take our metro rail to fun places on the weekends. I LOVE leaving the car at home and exploring Los Angeles.

We are in serious need of a high-speed train to Las Vegas. They can't widen the roads fast enough to keep up with the amount of people. NINE hours! Yes, it took nine hours to drive back from Las Vegas one holiday weekend. THAT is insanity. I'm happy to pay the taxes for this high-speed train and I hope they get cracking soon. Just imagine the amount of polution it would save, too.

I do have a few gripes, though. With all of the trains we now have in L.A., NONE of them go to the airport. They go to Bob Hope Airport, but not LAX. How dumb is that? Also, at the metro stations, the parking lots are too small and are always filled before 7:00 am. Then, they complain that people are not using the trains enough. If you had more parking, more people COULD use them.

 

[Colleen27]

Why not now? Because I know for a fact that if the government is involved in the building of it, it will not be money well spent. It will be full of waste, payoffs, contracts given to those who do not deserve them but get them because of certain affiliations. Because we don't have the money now. The United States needs to get back to producing things and selling them, not creating busy work.

Am I the only person worried about the financial future of this country?

No, you aren't, but the "create and produce" jobs aren't coming back and they aren't the purview of government even if they did. Meanwhile, we have many, many infrastructure issues to address that are the domain of government, and without jobs we'll never see economic recovery. If the private sector isn't spending and the public sector stops spending, where does recovery come from?

 

[Muushka]

I would love to respond, but this would turn political.

 

[disney1990]

I don't appreciate my tax dollars going for something that I will never use, and will be of great benefit to business people who travel the route . QUOTE]

There are lots of things that tax dollars go to that people don't use. Some people don't drive cars, so should they not have tax money going to our highway system?

I love train travel. I take the train from the Northeast to Florida once or twice a year. In addition, I have travelled from the DC to California by train. When you just look at the "hours" of the commute, you miss the entire point of most train travel. I travelled to California by train so that I could actually see the country instead of flying over the country. The train trip "is part of the vacation". Where as flying is mearly a way to get someplace. I spent my trip to California talking to other train passengers -- meeting people from all around the world who were doing the same thing I was -- taking a relaxing trip across the country.

We can't cut out funding for something just because there is somebody that gets no benefit from that service. I once had a friend that wanted to close down the libraries because he never went to the library to check out books. He didn't want his money to go to library funding.

 

[csharpwv]

I have followed through and read this thread - and I have to say I have been amused as - at one time or another - I have had all of these thoughts LOL

I grew up in very rural Southern WV. There was NO public transit at all. No buses, no passenger trains, even Greyhound ended their route through the area where I grew up long before I was born. So I was always fascinated with people who 'take the train' into work or ride the 'Metro' - or whatever other forms of public transportation may be available. However, my experience with trains was.... getting stuck at crossings - held up by coal trains loading, unloading, coupling, uncoupling etc etc etc - sometimes for up to 45 minutes.

So - I totally agree that passenger trains got the shaft with the advent of 'a car in every garage' What a horrible idea!

If America had a great coast to coast - border to border train service - with shortline connections through rural areas - public transit - and train service would be viable. As it stands today - passenger train service is barely viable as it does take a LONG time to get from point A to point B.

.... Hence the need for high speed rail!

My attraction to trains starts with the difference between train depots and airports. Airline security is horrible - and with all of the warning messages and security agents that make you feel like a criminal - a train ride is much less stressful - you always have access to a restroom, you don't have to wear a seatbelt, you can get up and roam around, and PLUS you can see some of the countryside of these United States! Having traveled by rail in the northeast this spring - seeing the coastline of the NE was beautiful!

In addition with rail service you don't have as much to worry about with weather delays - but yet rail service has a bad reputation for running late - much of that has to do with the state of repair of the rails, and the freight traffic through the same line. So - once again - the need for high speed rail surfaces - high speed lines typically do not carry freight. So the lines are free and available one line for freight - and the other for passenger lines.

So many private railroads nearly went under when the need for both freight transport and passenger transport hit a near all time low once most Americans owned a car - and with the development of airports.

America needs high speed rail for so many reasons - to connect people to more developed areas with employment opportunities. We live about an hour and 1/2 from Pittsburgh - I would not consider making that drive every day - but I would consider taking a train every day - IF the service was available - but it isn't - and more than likely will never be. But - if it was available - I know a lot of people who would take advantage of it.
At one time, the service was available - but it hasn't been for many many years.

I guess in the end - there are a LOT of reasons for rail travel.
Just a few reasons above!

 

[Muushka]

Don't get me wrong, I love trains! Heck, I even bought my DVC at Wilderness Lodge partly because of the train theme!

In this part of the country, trains are not something that is convienent. I am not talking about the trains that go from state to state. I am talking about trains that go from city to city within the same state. And specifically, North Carolina. This is not a densly populated area that we live in (Triangle). The bus system is lousy. And you need a bus once you get off of the train.

Billions of federal tax dollars (that means all of the US) are going for this train. If we had lots of money hanging around, I would be all for it. We don't.

 

[gk90]

The countries that have put money into their rail systems can be so cool! I hear Canada's rail system is incredible. DH has taken the train in England and Korea, and he'll be taking one from Germany all the way through London (ugh he gets to go in the Chunnel lucky duck) soon. When countries actually make rail happen, it's good. But that just hasn't really happened here.

Other countries have a far far better train system then we do..it's really a disgrace.

Just spent 5 days in a country that has incredible train service and the largest passenger railway company in the world: Japan. You can go anywhere and everywhere by train. Part of it is that they've privatized the rail companies and have competitive routes. If we're going to have better rail service here (and we should!) there needs to be some real planning for the $$ to be used wisely and logically.

And the monorail in Tokyo Disney is absolutely gorgeous, shining clean with Mickey-shaped windows and handholds--it made me realize how worn the WDW monorail is getting.
Unfortunately my monorail pics didn't come out too well so I found this on mouseplanet.com:

 

[palavra]

Don't get me wrong, I love trains! Heck, I even bought my DVC at Wilderness Lodge partly because of the train theme!

In this part of the country, trains are not something that is convienent. I am not talking about the trains that go from state to state. I am talking about trains that go from city to city within the same state. And specifically, North Carolina. This is not a densly populated area that we live in (Triangle). The bus system is lousy. And you need a bus once you get off of the train.

Billions of federal tax dollars (that means all of the US) are going for this train. If we had lots of money hanging around, I would be all for it. We don't.

But how is public transportation going to become convenient to these areas if it isn't constructed and used? We are still much too reliant on cars in the Southeastern part of the U.S. At what point are people going to realize that we can't continue to do this? I've lievd in several otehr countries with much more efficient train and bus systems and loved it!

 

[nunzia]

I don't appreciate my tax dollars going for something that I will never use, and will be of great benefit to business people who travel the route . QUOTE]

There are lots of things that tax dollars go to that people don't use. Some people don't drive cars, so should they not have tax money going to our highway system?

I love train travel. I take the train from the Northeast to Florida once or twice a year. In addition, I have travelled from the DC to California by train. When you just look at the "hours" of the commute, you miss the entire point of most train travel. I travelled to California by train so that I could actually see the country instead of flying over the country. The train trip "is part of the vacation". Where as flying is mearly a way to get someplace. I spent my trip to California talking to other train passengers -- meeting people from all around the world who were doing the same thing I was -- taking a relaxing trip across the country.

We can't cut out funding for something just because there is somebody that gets no benefit from that service. I once had a friend that wanted to close down the libraries because he never went to the library to check out books. He didn't want his money to go to library funding.

Well said..and here we sit, years after Katrina, with NO ONE figuring out to reinstate a route past New Orleans to Florida. Ridiculous...

 

[jodifla]

After 9/11, it became painfully obvious how much we let the railway system go. Frankly, it's just another cog in the wheel of national defense. If all of a sudden planes were grounded for weeks or months, we'd need another way to move people and things around that wasn't cars or trucks.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

You understand my rant!
Why not now? Because I know for a fact that if the government is involved in the building of it, it will not be money well spent. It will be full of waste, payoffs, contracts given to those who do not deserve them but get them because of certain affiliations. Because we don't have the money now. The United States needs to get back to producing things and selling them, not creating busy work.
Am I the only person worried about the financial future of this country?

Amen! Sure jobs will be created but who pays those employees? We do through our taxes! It's just like the Census ~ all sorts of jobs were created - *not really* when the goverment provides your pay check *and I'm a federal employee* it's the American public who pays you. We need more private sector employers and they seem to be disappearing as the government takes control of everything

 

[melancholywings]

I wished we had the BART here. It's a great light rail system and allows families to live in more affordable areas with an easier commute into the city for work. It gives freedom and connects communities.
Right now I live in one city work in another and have a 2 hour commute total. It's insane but is the only way most people can afford housing here. In some communities light rails and trains make more sense than pouring money into a highway that is congested the monent construction is done.