re: #224 ProLifeLiberal

How extensive is the Rail System of Europe? I was imagining a copy of that (to a point) in the US.

Come to think of it, I see a need for other train systems for passengers elsewhere. Middle East should be more connected.

I’d love a system as comprehensive as Europe’s, too but:

1> their point-to-point distances are generally shorter than ours, and
2> they generally acquired the r-o-w a while back when it was cheaper.

Seattle to Minneapolis is a good example. That’s 1300+ miles through the Rockies with nothing meaningful in between. (No offense to Minot, South Dakota, et al, but you know what I mean.) The European counterpart would be (roughly) Paris to Moscow, plus mountains. Would that rail line exist if there was nothing in between (and if they had a really good freeway covering that route as well)? I doubt it.

We’ll never have their system. It will never make sense to build that, if cost matters at all. And it has to matter.