On Wednesday, 4 February 2015 09:36:02 UTC+1, Dänk 42Ø  wrote:   
   > On 02/04/2015 06:48 AM, de Blasfail wrote:   
   >    
   > > Metro-North is the nation's second-busiest railroad, after the   
   > > Long Island Rail Road. It was formed in 1983 and serves about   
   > > 280,000 riders a day in New York and Connecticut.   
   > >   
   > > Metro-North is the nation's second-busiest railroad, after the   
   > > Long Island Rail Road. It was formed in 1983 and serves about   
   > > 280,000 riders a day in New York and Connecticut.   
   >    
   > Stupid crash aside, am I the ONLY westerner who wonders why the   
   > east coast enjoys such lavish rail service while western states   
   > have almost no rail service at all?   
      
   From the perspective of someone living in Europe, I would not describe the   
   East Coast (or at least the part of it with some rail service) as having   
   lavish services at all.  It has a service that is a bit sub-standard, but just   
   about usable.  The rest of    
   the US is pretty much a desert.   
      
   > I live in America, I pay taxes that subsidize goddamn Amtrak, yet   
   > there is no train service between my hick town and anywhere.   
      
   I think that is a question you need to take up with your elected   
   representatives.  In Europe, it is recognised that public transport is a   
   useful public utility that improves the economy for everyone, that is best   
   supported in one way or another out of    
   general taxation.  But then we also feel that way about other things that Fox   
   News and the GOP deem to be communist and "liberal" (in Europe, being   
   "liberal" is regarded as generally a good thing).   
      
   > I   
   > visited Europe several years ago, and trains were everywhere!  Not   
   > so in America, where I have to DRIVE 300 fuckin' miles to catch   
   > a train from there to Chicago.  And looking at the fares vs. the   
   > cost of driving -- and hotels -- driving comes out to be cheaper!   
   > (And I don't have to rent a car upon reaching my destination!)   
   >    
   > Americans whine about the cost of gasoline, but then I drive 120   
   > miles to Las Vegas on a routine basis, and can't help but notice   
   > that the majority of passenger cars, and big-rig trucks, have   
   > only one or two passengers inside.  A single train could have   
   > transported all of them (vehicles included) for a tenth of the   
   > cost of burning all the combustion fuel needed to transport each   
   > and every one of them individually.   
   >    
   > The USA is unique among industrialized countries for its lack of a    
   > comprehensive energy policy.  Civilization runs on energy, therefore    
   > securing and maintaining a reliable source of energy should be the    
   > highest priority.  Not in America, though.  Low oil prices?  Let's   
   > cut the gasoline tax, and borrow more money from China to pay for   
   > road maintenance!  China has a vested interest in loaning America   
   > money to maintain the highways that its tanks will soon be rolling   
   > down.   
      
   The US embarked on the largest taxpayer-funded constuction project in the   
   history of mankind, that is building the interstate highway system, and let   
   its railways rot.  That was a decision taken by elected politicians.  In a   
   democracy, you get what you    
   vote for.   
      
   Robin   
      
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