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I thought this was well-known: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_conspiracy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_consp..

• vonmoltke 10y ago
  First, streetcars aren't trains. They're good at circulating people around an urban center, but not for getting them in and out. Second, even that article indicates streetcar systems were well on their way to death before the conspiracy started. Third, the participation of oil companies in it was tangential; it was auto manufacturers who drove it.
  • m_mueller 10y ago
    As someone who's lived in Zurich, here's the main advantage of streetcars vs buses: They get their own reserved space in the middle of the road. That makes them very reliable and on-time like trains (assuming good planning / operations). That's why they're still popular in places with good service, and new ones are getting built.