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Source? The Economist claims that the US has the best freight rail infrastructure in the world: http://www.economist.com/node/16636101 http://www.economist.co

Source? The Economist claims that the US has the best freight rail infrastructure in the world: http://www.economist.com/node/16636101 http://www.economist.com/node/16636101 The "fundamental problem" is probably that America is a really big country, and there are lots of livable places in the US that are far from other population centers.

sorbus 15y ago
"best freight rail infrastructure in the world" and "completely inadequate rail infrastructure" are, sadly, not mutually exclusive.
joe_the_user 15y ago
Well, another fundamental problem is the US government subsidies trucks by providing them with roads. Railroads have to make their own tracks. Truck and cars do pay taxes but they don't pay sufficient taxes to pay the entire cost of roads (http://moderntransit.org/letters/budget.html http://moderntransit.org/letters/budget.html).
- Swisher 15y ago
  Cars don't pay enough...trucks do. Not to mention trucks are providing a service that cannot be done effectively by cars or trains. Railroads make plenty of money on owning the tracks otherwise I doubt they would still be doing it.
  - Zakharov 15y ago
    On the other hand, railroads don't make enough money owning the tracks to make a significant investment in expanding the rail network.
w1ntermute 15y ago
> The Economist claims that the US has the best freight rail infrastructure in the world We're talking about the greatest country on Earth. Even with the best freight rail infrastructure in the world, it may still not be up to American standards.
- Nicknameless 15y ago
  I'm not sure how many people living outside of the US would actually consider it to be the 'greatest country on Earth'. I certainly don't want to live there... Not sure if this is just a troll actually. If so, good job I guess.
  - w1ntermute 15y ago
    While it may be hip on the net to trash our country, if you ask an average person in a developing country where they want to go, they will invariably want to come here. Even in China, who everyone is waiting for with bated breath to overtake America, people want to come here.
    - ahoyhere 15y ago
      Maybe in developing countries, but that's not the attitude in other first world countries, because they've pretty much all got it better than we do.
      - w1ntermute 15y ago
        Having been to quite a few other first world countries (Europe and Canada) and having relatives there, I would say that the upper middle class life is most definitely not better anywhere else. In America, you can get a nice big house, a nice big car, and have a comfortable life. For example, I'm in Japan right now, and I miss the central air conditioning (here they have boxed air conditioners in select rooms instead). I miss the ridiculously cheap prices for just about anything I might want to buy. But most of all, while there are certainly advantages to having a convenient public transit system, I have to say that I miss having the wide open road before me and the sweet feeling of metal roaring to go beneath my feet. Of course, things may be different for the poor, since they certainly have it pretty bad in America, but I am fortunate enough to have never known poverty.

sorbus 15y ago

"best freight rail infrastructure in the world" and "completely inadequate rail infrastructure" are, sadly, not mutually exclusive.

joe_the_user 15y ago

Well, another fundamental problem is the US government subsidies trucks by providing them with roads. Railroads have to make their own tracks. Truck and cars do pay taxes but they don't pay sufficient taxes to pay the entire cost of roads (http://moderntransit.org/letters/budget.html http://moderntransit.org/letters/budget.html).

Swisher 15y ago
Cars don't pay enough...trucks do. Not to mention trucks are providing a service that cannot be done effectively by cars or trains. Railroads make plenty of money on owning the tracks otherwise I doubt they would still be doing it.
- Zakharov 15y ago
  On the other hand, railroads don't make enough money owning the tracks to make a significant investment in expanding the rail network.

w1ntermute 15y ago

> The Economist claims that the US has the best freight rail infrastructure in the world We're talking about the greatest country on Earth. Even with the best freight rail infrastructure in the world, it may still not be up to American standards.

Nicknameless 15y ago
I'm not sure how many people living outside of the US would actually consider it to be the 'greatest country on Earth'. I certainly don't want to live there... Not sure if this is just a troll actually. If so, good job I guess.
- w1ntermute 15y ago
  While it may be hip on the net to trash our country, if you ask an average person in a developing country where they want to go, they will invariably want to come here. Even in China, who everyone is waiting for with bated breath to overtake America, people want to come here.
  - ahoyhere 15y ago
    Maybe in developing countries, but that's not the attitude in other first world countries, because they've pretty much all got it better than we do.
    - w1ntermute 15y ago
      Having been to quite a few other first world countries (Europe and Canada) and having relatives there, I would say that the upper middle class life is most definitely not better anywhere else. In America, you can get a nice big house, a nice big car, and have a comfortable life. For example, I'm in Japan right now, and I miss the central air conditioning (here they have boxed air conditioners in select rooms instead). I miss the ridiculously cheap prices for just about anything I might want to buy. But most of all, while there are certainly advantages to having a convenient public transit system, I have to say that I miss having the wide open road before me and the sweet feeling of metal roaring to go beneath my feet. Of course, things may be different for the poor, since they certainly have it pretty bad in America, but I am fortunate enough to have never known poverty.