Lamenting America’s substantially lacking train-travel situation

Trains, at one time in this country, were the premier way to travel. But, unfortunately, that is no longer the case. The name and number trains of yesteryear have been somewhat supplanted by automobiles that go by model name and number. That’s really too bad and kind of sad. But, that’s just the way it is.

Which, again, is unfortunate when I listen to certain news reports. How so?

Well, just the other day I was tuned into the broadcast news and I was hearing how for this summer during the height of travel, projected is to be a shortage of available flights. As soon as I heard that news, my thoughts immediately turned to the train as a viable means to pick up at least some of the slack. But, at the same time, I am also thinking about how underwhelming our rail passenger capability is and how, if the attention that is heaped upon automobiles and jet planes were shifted to trains, given their deserved due in other words, that maybe, just maybe, the news over upcoming projected flight shortages would be no big deal.

Which brings up this idea of why it seems we allow ourselves to get backed into a proverbial corner? I mean, that’s the way I see what could be an avoidable dilemma, if all of the needed resources were already in place to change the existing travel dynamic.

And, while the news seems to be mainly focusing attention on issues surrounding jet aircraft in general as of late, I have barely seen any news reports having to do with train travel. (Editor’s note: Nearly all of the train-related news I’ve heard lately had to do with freight-train matters, most notably in regard to safety. With one notable exception. More on that below).

So to the news media, what say you cover passenger trains and put in the reports information about how if the ones that we do have were more well-patronized and how if we had more services available, maybe we wouldn’t be facing the summer travel-crunch situation that is projected? Did you ever think of that?

An important development

On Apr. 22, 2024, Earth Day, Brightline West, America’s first true high-speed rail line linking Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada broke ground!

“The 218-mile system will be constructed in the middle of the I-15 and is based on Brightline’s vision to connect city pairs that are too short to fly and too far to drive,” Brightline West announced in a press release. “Hailed as the greenest form of transportation in the world, Brightline West will run zero emission, fully electric trains capable of speeds of 200 miles per hour. Brightline West is a watershed project for high-speed rail in America and will establish the foundation for the creation of a new industry and supply chain. The project was recently awarded $3 billion in funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. The rest of the project will be privately funded and has received a total allocation of $3.5 billion in private activity bonds from USDOT.”

Brightline West’s goal is to be “operational in time for Los Angeles to host the Summer Olympic Games in 2028,” Congresswoman Judy Chu, of California Congressional District 28,
expressed in the release.

Hopefully, this is a boarding call if you will regarding things to come.