[discostu]

It had. Remember what inspired Eisenhower was two things: 1 taking a month to get from one side of the country to the other in WWI and thinking that was pretty stupid; and 2 seeing the Autobahn Hitler had put in place. The Autobahn gave him the answer, and it still is the answer. I can drive from one side of the country to the other in a week and stop where ever I want whenever I want and for as long as I want. Trains aren't going to beat that.

One of the basic problems any mass transit system runs into is America pride. We like to be in charge. With cars we are, in trains or any other mass transport we aren't. While you can complain loudly, and often correctly, about the problems of the car as a system of movement until you've got something that allows me to leave my house whenever I want, get to work straight from home without having to wait for the next scheduled whatever, work as long as I want, run a few errands on the way home without having to wait for my transport and without having to carry my purchases from the last store into this store, then you've got nothing that will beat the car.

Control of our own destiny, that's what the car gives and no mode of mass transit currently known CAN give. And until you've got something that can match the convenience you're just wasting effort because the masses will never adopt it.

[cicero's_son]

Your argument is tautological.

Your car is only as efficient as you describe it because we built our entire national infrastructure around it.

Before the car, you could stop by the store on your walk home from work and pick up anything you needed. Now, some greedy developer buys a parking lot 15 miles from your house in the opposite direction of work and puts up a strip mall. The road leads right to the parking lot, so it's called "convenient."

[Publius]

I can drive from one side of the country to the other in a week and stop where ever I want whenever I want and for as long as I want. Trains aren't going to beat that.

But when you drive across the continent, you have one eye on the road in front of you and the other on the 18-wheeler (or the state trooper) behind you. You don't see any of Anerica's wonderful scenery because it isn't safe to look. You also have to stop to eat and sleep.

A transcontinental train trip offers food on the train (no stopping) and sleeping on the train (no stopping). You also see all that scenery you missed on the interstate. Sleeping car accomodations cost the same as first class air travel, but after having taken a train across the country, I'll never drive it again.

And until you've got something that can match the convenience you're just wasting effort because the masses will never adopt it.

You're right about convenience. And when you have to go into a big city, nothing beats the freedom and convenience of a train. You have to be a masochist to drive into a large city, fight the traffic and then chase down a place to park.