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> That may be true for buses, but trains carry no such stigma. Google what MARTA stands for to white southerners. And it’s not just a joke - in Atlanta, until

> That may be true for buses, but trains carry no such stigma. Google what MARTA stands for to white southerners. And it’s not just a joke - in Atlanta, until very recently, proximity to a train station would suppress the value of your home! While we may be talking past each other, I posit that if a Danish-style system were built where America needs it the most, on a Danish budget, many Americans would relocate before living someplace that made it easy for “all kinds of people” to ride into their neighborhood. Many, many Americans don’t want public transportation but to say their primary concern is budgetary is incorrect - even if that’s the argument they make.

rayiner 6y ago
> Google what MARTA stands for to white southerners. And it’s not just a joke - in Atlanta, until very recently, proximity to a train station would suppress the value of your home! I lived in Atlanta, and I’m aware of that. Contrary to your theory, Atlanta is actually one of the better-run train systems in the country. (Stellar on-time performance, isn’t suffering from the maintenance apocalypse of the DC Metro system.) But that’s totally different here in DC. Living near a metro station has been a big plus ever since we moved to the area. My dad used to take the Metro to Arlington from Vienna, starting in 1989. Nearly everyone on those trains were college educated professionals. But the DC metro has been a disaster budget and maintenance wise. They had to shut down the self-driving feature (which made rides extremely smooth) because the support infrastructure had been allowed to decay. And it’s not for a lack of funding.