Life would be better with more trains
America needs more trains, and we need faster trains. It'd be good for all of us, and it might be good for democracy.
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When I moved from Portland, Oregon to Los Angeles, California, in 2014, I chose an unusual mode of transportation for my relocation: an Amtrak train. I packed a suitcase, a duffel bag and a backpack, and I spent 30 hours on the Amtrak Coast Starlight as it glided along a winding track down the West Coast of the United States.
I often say that the first half of that trip was romantic, and the second half was tiring. That's a long time to spend on a train. That said, I've always been a train lover, and I wish we lived in a country where train travel was more common.
I recently moved to Chicago, Illinois from New Orleans, Louisiana. I flew this time, but if it had fit into my plans, I would have happily taken a 20-hour train ride. As anyone who's been reading this newsletter for a while will know, there was a long trip abroad and other travel that came before my move to Chicago.
New Orleans has the trolley, which is pleasant, but it doesn't have a subway system. The trolley doesn't go many places, either. Chicago, on the other hand, has the "L" trains. These trains are mostly above ground and can get you to most parts of the city. I've been riding the trains quite a bit since I got to Chicago just over two months ago, and it's nice to be a regular train rider again.
When I was in Europe months ago, I made sure to ride the train from one destination to the next whenever I could. I took a train from Barcelona, Spain to Toulouse, France. I rode the train along the Mediterranean coast to get to Marseille. Of course, I also utilized the subway systems of the cities I visited.
One of the things I love about Europe is the high-speed rail systems between the cities and the subway systems within those cities that often seem more sprawling and well-maintained than what you see in America. We have a total of one train in America that qualifies as high-speed rail—Amtrak’s Acela train in the Northeast. Public transportation in America, outside of a few cities like Chicago, often leaves much to be desired.
