Why the US chose not to have a passenger train system like Europe

Key Takeaways

The U.S. lacks extensive passenger train systems unlike Europe, Japan, and India due to deliberate choices.
The U.S. boasts the world's best and most extensive freight railroad system, valued at approximately $80 billion.
Prioritizing freight profitability and vast geography explain the U.S. focus on goods over passenger transport.
Sharing tracks creates conflict between profitable freight operations and public passenger service, hindering expansion.
Successful U.S. passenger rail relies on a 'corridor approach' and significant public investment.

The U.S. lacks extensive passenger train systems, unlike Europe, Japan, and India.
The episode aims to explore the reasons behind this choice and highlight noteworthy aspects of U.S. railroads.
The podcast begins with the sound of a new Amtrak line between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, setting the context.

The U.S. made a deliberate choice to focus on freight over passenger rail, contrasting with Europe's emphasis on passenger transport.
This choice is influenced by the U.S.'s vast, spread-out geography, making long-distance passenger travel time-consuming compared to flights.
The U.S. freight train industry is highly profitable, valued at approximately $80 billion, with companies like BNSF Railway prioritizing stockholder returns.

Sharing tracks between passenger and freight trains presents an inherent conflict, as demonstrated by the delayed Amtrak line to Mobile.
Railroad owners argued that accommodating passenger trains would negatively impact their profitable freight business.
Running frequent passenger service (every half hour) on freight lines could cut freight capacity by half, raising the question of building new, dedicated lines.

Passenger trains are less common in the U.S. because cities are geographically farther apart, rail is expensive, and it can impede faster freight trains.
Attempts to build high-speed rail, such as California's San Francisco-Los Angeles project, faced significant political hurdles and cost overruns, with estimates rising from $33 billion to four times that amount.
The 'corridor approach' focuses on efficient routes connecting major cities, exemplified by the Northeast Corridor serving over 750,000 people daily, and Brightline's new corridor from Las Vegas to Southern California.