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
"The decline of passenger railway service in the US 1962 - 2006" A line map of the continental US in white on grey. A fast-moving 48-frame animated GIF shows lines that are Non-Amtrak, have service less than daily, service daily, service 3+ times daily, and service 6+ times daily. The source is the National Association of Railway Passengers. The initial frame shows service > 6x/day on much of the East Coast, routes in Chicago and major Midwestern cities as well as routes from LA to Las Vegas and from SF to Sacramento in California. Much of the rest of the map has major routes going 3x daily and more that are less frequent. Even having been reduced by 1962, it's still remarkably good coverage of a large nation. It drops off hard by 1967, and even more by 1971. Some lines are restored by 1975, likely in response to the OPEC crisis, but start to get reversed again after Reagan is elected. But it never goes back to the relatively good coverage of 1962. It is still largely 6x/day or more on popular commuter lines in New England, Chicago to Milwaukee, LA to San Diego, and SF to Sacramento.