The new account timeline feels so empty, so pardon me while I furnish it with this @Vox infographic of how the US had somewhat decent passenger rail and got rid of most of it. #Trains#Transportation#CarCentrism
@samhainnight Different rail, though. That was the Pacific Red Car, which was interurban rail in Southern California.
I think it may be a different gauge of rail.
Some think the Roger Rabbit plot was somewhat representative of what actually happened. Others argue that the rising affordability of cars was killing streetcars on its own. https://youtu.be/p-I8GDklsN4?si=ZTzLIhkZhiZ5lZmf
@meganL My dad used to ride the Pacific Red Car. In CA at least, there was a push by the auto industry to shut down rail cars. I remember hearing about it ages ago when I was a kid. It had something to do with the construction of the highway system.
@meganL@Vox It's gotten worse Even in Europe for regional lines. Here in México we are trying to re-invigorate passenger trains, theres of course the tren Maya, but also the trans-istmico. Prívate raíl operators that where handed over lines in the late 90s privatization drive are being forced to either reinstate passenger service or get their asses nationalized. Maybe getting somewhere...
@dacig I found the Vox graphic some time ago while trying to find a similar look at the US and Ireland and other countries. On the old birdsite, there were several threads that had good comparison maps of how good passenger train line coverage had become vestigial with the expansion of car-centrism.
The UK deliberately dismantled a lot of its rail infrastructure, then privatized what was left, in the name of 'efficiency', after spending £billions on a motorway network to shift passengers to cars and goods to trucks.
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